


Unknown Future

by ShillanSeva



Category: Twilight (Movies), Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: F/F, F/F/F/F, Multi, slowburn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-06
Updated: 2019-04-06
Packaged: 2020-01-05 22:53:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 28,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18375737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShillanSeva/pseuds/ShillanSeva
Summary: Bella goes to the Volturi to die but when things don't go as planned how will she react when the queens tell her that she is mated to not just one but all three of the queens. Especially when she may not be the normal newborn they all anticipated?





	1. Chapter 1

Black..

Everything was black and she was in a void. She could feel the cold stone of the floor beneath her trembling body but her mind could make no such connections to the physical world. Her screams were the lightning to her thundering heart and sweat dripped from her pores like rainfalls from hell. And yet, she knew nothing.

Bella Swan's brain was on fire. The embers of her pain had seeped into her bloodstream devouring every aspect of humanity they could find. She was in the middle of The Change. She knew nothing of how she'd ended up here nor that the agony would soon end. She could only scream as lava coursed through her, melting her into a void of nonexistence.

She knew nothing of the three women who stood watch over her squirming body, their dignified composure slipping with each paralyzing scream that ripped from Bella's throat. She knew nothing of the venom that slid through her veins like a predator after its prey, slinking along slowly like it was trudging through molasses.

The women knew.

The women knew that Bella would awaken soon. They knew that she would awaken transformed into the predator that trudged through her. She would become the venom that she screamed so sorrowfully from. Her basic senses would enhance tenfold and her strength and ability immeasurably more. Her desires would no longer consist of a good book and comfortable companionship but would now only include blood and sex.

The women knew and they waited anxiously for the venom to finish its ungodly task.

* * *

 

Bella had lain still now for a day. Her body had not stirred and her cries had ceased nearly a day ago. The three women still remained with her. They wore black velvet robes which hung fitted against their pale bodies. Each bore similar features to one another; deep red eyes and matching clothes emblazoned with a golden insignia.

They stood in a crypt-like room. Bella lay naked on a stone slab, a blood red sheet covering her body leaving only her face visible to the queens. The high ceilings of the room had caused Bella's screams to echo like calls in a cavern. The walls around them were cracking and fragile, made with crumbling granite, and the room was light by soft torches which danced across Bella's sunken face and cast long shadows across the floor and walls

"It's been four days," one of the women said. "She should have awaken by now."

There was a hum of agreement from one of the other women, the smallest of the three with dark hair and a soft face. "Some take more time... though it is strange." Bella had taken to the change magnificently at the start. The first two days of the change had gone smoothly at least from an outsider's perspective. Of course there had been the typical screaming and pain for Bella but it had all gone normal, faster than normal actually and then at the start of the third day, she had stalled. Physically her change looked complete. Her heart had given its last weak beat at the end of the second day and she should have woken several hours later. It was now two days later.

"Have you ever heard of a change proceeding so difficultly before?" the platinum blonde woman who had been standing quietly near the door said. "What has hindered it so?"

"I have heard, in rare circumstances, that those whose change begins traumatically can sometimes take longer to awaken." the woman with dirty blonde hair said. "It has only been four days. Changes can last until five days normally."

"Sulpicia, what if she does not awaken?"

"She will Didyme. She has to," she responded. "She's our mate."

"Are you sure?" Didyme said brushing her dark hair over her shoulder and moving closer to Bella to brush the unconscious girl's bangs away from her eyes.

"It is as the little psychic said," the third woman said. "And she has yet to be proven wrong."

"The little Cullen has indeed never been wrong, but there is a first time for everything Athenodora," Sulpicia said.

The three women stood in silence for a time contemplating. Alice had come to them with a vision of a girl. A beautiful brunette with deep, caring brown eyes and a quiet confidence that lay dormant behind years of playing the wallflower. The psychic told them that this human was to become their mate when she was turned. The downside was that Alice couldn't tell them when the human would be turned or how she would be turned as the Cullen family had already left the area where the girl resided.

And then, a week ago, the girl had shown up on their doorstep. She was thin like she hadn't eaten in weeks and her eyes were sunken and dull. Her hair was lackluster and nothing like the vision that Alice had shown Sulpicia. She came to their doorstep and asked to die. While not unheard of, it still came as a surprise to the women to have a human show up on at their castle with complete knowledge of who they are and completely resigned to die.

All hell had broken loose after that. The entire Cullen clan arrived soon after Bella.

* * *

 

_"Please, kill me," the girl had whispered. She knelt before the three women in a grand room. At the head of the room was a raised dais with three ornate thrones in which the women sat watching the girl who had bowed her head. They listened as she tried to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill._

_Didyme, whose heart bled for the broken girl, rose from her throne and moved down to kneel with the girl. "Why did you come to us?"_

_Bella looked up and caught Didyme's eyes and held her gaze, mulling over her next words. "I didn't know where else to go and I couldn't stand the thought of Charlie.. my dad.. finding me..."_

_"What is your name?" Sulpicia said from behind Didyme. She of course already knew the identity of the girl in front of them. There was no way she could have been mistaken but she needed to be sure._

_"Bella."_

_Athenodora rose from her seat and approached Didyme pausing briefly to look the girl over before circling around her. "You know about us... why do you not ask for immortality?"_

_Bella looked at Athenodora and watched as the vampire scrutinized her and inhaled her scent deeply. She never answered though. Didyme wondered briefly if that was because she hadn't thought about it or because she'd thought about it entirely too much._

_And before Didyme could pursue that line of questioning, a guard entered the throne room. He was a large brawny man with muscles the same size as Bella's head._

_"My queens," he said. "You have visitors... They know the girl."_

_Didyme's eyes widened in shock and before she could ask who, they walked into the room._


	2. Chapter 2

**_Four Days Earlier_ **

_Edward was the first into the room. He was growling as he moved, eyes intent on the kneeled form of Bella which was just barely hidden behind the two queens who had gone to her side. Other robed vampires sprang into action as the agitated vampire moved to close to the queens and they formed a blockade around the two and the girl they presided over._

_"What is the meaning of this?" Sulpicia's voice rang from the dais. The command in her voice startled the rabid Edward into silence as he turned to address her. Carlisle, sensing the danger Edward was about to put himself into, stepped forward to speak before he could._

_"We apologize for the intrusion, your majesty," Carlisle said adding a small bow for good measure. "Our son seems to be under the impression that his mate is in danger and that she is with you."_

_Didyme broke from the circle of guards that had surrounded her and Athenodora and moved to the center of the room with her fellow ruler. She examined Carlisle. His blonde hair was pristine and his golden eyes still sparkled with the same kindness as when he'd been a member of their coven. He kept glancing nervously at his son as though anticipating some sort of aggravated action from him. The boy in question was nearly frothing at the mouth. His eyes were black and darting while his hair looked matted and tangled. His teeth were bared toward the queens and he was crouched, ready to attack should any one move too quickly. He was possessed._

_Sulpicia, likely coming to the same conclusion, moved towards the snarling vampire. With each step, her stature seemed to grow taller and her presence more intruding. Danger spilled off of her in waves and every inch she grew closure to Edward was another inch that he shrank into himself. When she reached him, she grabbed him by his chin and pulled him up off the floor so that she could look him in the eyes._

_"What is the meaning of this, boy?" She said once again. Edward let out a snarl and batted away the hand that held his face._

_"You're going to kill my mate," he snarled lunging forward at the queen. He was dropped instantly to the floor and began screaming as though someone had set his insides on fire. He writhed and jerked awkwardly against the marble tiles before the queen held a hand up to the side, "Enough Jane."_

_A petite vampire whose hood hid most of her features, bowed her head deeply before backing herself into the shadows to observe once again._

_"Now," Sulpicia said clasping her hands in front of herself and turning to address the other members of the Cullen clan. "Since this once," she emphasized by kicking Edward lightly in the side, "cannot control himself long enough to explain why you are all here would one of you care to?"_

_"I can," a voice said from behind her. Sulpicia couldn't contain the surprise on her face when the human who had come here to die stepped forward through the group of vampire guards and approached the queen. "Edward was my mate…"_

_She paused gathering herself. Didyme watched how she gulped air and held it in her chest trying to steal herself against something unseen to anyone else. "Or at least I thought… He's here because of me."_

_Sulpicia nodded her head once, slowly, contemplating what the girl had said. Based on how the girl knew of their existence and how Edward had lunged toward her immediately upon entrance, Sulpicia believed the girl was telling the truth._

_"Come here dear," Sulpicia said reaching out a hand for the human to grasp. She needed to see for herself that the girl was telling the truth. When she grasped the girls hand, the memories and thoughts of a time with the Cullens never came. She was completely blank as though someone had wiped her memories clean._

_Sulpicia frowned. "Didyme dear, what do you see?"_

_Didyme stepped forward, question lining her face. Her adopted sister did not often ask her opinion after viewing the minds of her subjects. For Sulpicia to ask about the bonds of the family meant something must truly be amiss. Didyme looked at Bella. She examined the way the girl shifted under the gaze of so many vampires but did not run in fear. There were many ties around her. Some were soft and silvery, easily made but easily broken. Those stretched far off into the distance likely back to America. Others, gold. These were more solid and didn't ripple so easily in the face of adversity. Several of them stretched out of the room as well while others remained looped around some of the Cullens. She was linked to the psychic the most heavily but all of the bonds with the Cullen family seemed fairly stable with the exception of one. The bond connecting Bella with Edward was black and jagged, unwavering. It hung between them like dead weight._

_"They are indeed bonded though I see no mate bond," Didyme told her sister. Athenodora, who had broken away from the guards while Sulpicia had talked with Edward, approached Bella. "You said you knew you were not mates—how did you know?"_

_Bella gulped and tried to look into the other woman's eyes. "He left... Carlisle once told me that mates—true mates—can never permanently leave their mates.. and he also told me that vampires can't mate with humans."_

_Athenodora crossed her arms and tapped her chin. "While that is partially true, it isn't impossible for a vampire to mate with a human though it would be highly unlikely."_

_The growling started again and this time Sulpicia ignored it, "Well then we are in a predicament. Edward is obviously not this young girl's mate which means we have an entire coven of vampires who exposed themselves to a human and left her to die. Not only that but now said human has come to us asking that we end her life when that clearly was not our responsibility."_

_"We would be willing to take Bella off your hands," Carlisle said bringing the attention back to himself. "Bella is a part of our family and—"_

_"I was never a part of your family Carlisle," Bella said causing the Cullens to look to her in shock. "You left me alone—in the woods! What kind of family does that?"_

_"We will not be releasing Bella any time soon," Sulpicia said. "Not only do we have no guarantee that Bella will be changed in a timely manner but also our young human here seems to have a gift of her own—not only did she best Edward's abilities, she is immune to mine as well."_

_"Bella," Athenodora said quietly. Her eyes bore gently into the girl's. "If we offered you a place among the Volturi or even just a place among our kind, would you accept?"_


	3. Chapter 3

There were several gasps from the Cullens at Athenodora's words. They all knew of Sulpicia's gift. She was much like their own Edward. With one touch, Sulpicia could view every thought and memory a person ever had. She could even see the ones that they themselves could no longer remember. When Sulpicia had gripped Bella's hand, she'd seen nothing but a wall too thick for her own mind to penetrate.

"Bella had remained silent after Athenodora had spoken to her. Did she want this life? Did she want to become a vampire? She'd come here so content to die. She accepted her fate, that she wasn't meant to live or have any happiness. That's why she'd come here. She couldn't bear to commit the act herself so she thought that maybe the world that abandoned her could also become the world that saved her from the loneliness that it caused. It didn't feel quite so cowardly to Bella either.

"I came here to die," Bella finally said. "I didn't want to be changed when I came here because I didn't think I had anything to live for."

Didyme smiled at the young girl and approached her. She gripped her shoulder, pulling Bella's eyes to her own before she winked. "Bella, I think you would make a superb vampire. If you can best Sulpicia's gift now, image how wonderful you'll be when your gifts are fully realized."

"Yes, that would drive Sulpicia wild," Athenodora chuckled glancing at her fellow queen who rolled her eyes. "Though, if my theory is correct, Didyme is correct. That shield of yours must be very powerful."

"Shield?" Bella asked hesitantly. She was blushing bright red under all of the attention the queens were giving her.

"Yes, a mental one I'd guess," Athenodora continued. "Quite a rare gift but not unheard of. There are few other gifts that could block out Sulpicia."

"If it is true," Sulpicia continued, "I'd be willing to offer you a place among our guard. They help maintain the peace and security of our world."

Bella nodded and opened her mouth to ask another question only to be cut off.

"She will not be turned," Edward snarled. He was still attempting to get off the ground after being incapacitated by Jane. His eyes were trained on Sulpicia and he looked ready to pounce once again. "You will not damn her soul."

"I don't believe that is your choice boy," Sulpicia said. Bella couldn't help but shutter at the queen's words. She was so absolute and resonated power like it was rushing from her pores. It made Bella want to cower though she couldn't figure out if she wanted to cower from the queen or behind the queen.

"May I have some time to think it over?" Bella asked staring at her shoes.

"You understand what the alternative is?" Didyme asked from beside Bella. She had removed her hand from Bella's shoulder and dropped it down to hold her hand and offer a show of support. Bella just nodded in response.

"Then we will show you to a guest room. No doubt you are tired?" Sulpicia questioned. She wasn't completely convinced that the girl was their mate despite having seen Alice's vision but she couldn't get past the care that she felt for Bella either. She wanted to protect her. Seeing how broken this family had made her, made Sulpicia want to tear each of them to shreds. The aggression she felt surprised her deeply.

Sulpicia motioned for a guard to show Bella out of the throne room and turned her attention to the Cullens. She'd need time to figure out what to do with them. They'd left a human with knowledge of their kind but one of them had also potentially guided their mate to them.

"Cullens," she said pulling their attention from Bella who had begun to move toward the door. "You will be staying as well. We have much to discuss and I can't let your blatant disregard for the law go unpunished—"

What happened next happened so suddenly there was no way any of them could prevented it. Even little Alice was taken completely by surprise. The throne room was an old room. Nearly as old as many of the vampires that stood within its walls. As a result, it had been submitted to the normal wear and tear that castles and large buildings tend to go through. The ground beneath its foundation shifted and the marble tiles that now made up the floor shifted with it creating in some patches uneven footings. Bella, a self-proclaimed klutz, had been far too absorbed in her thoughts to notice the tile that had angled up from the floor and had managed to trip over it, scraping her elbow in the process.

The moment the smell of blood hit the air, she was done for. Edward didn't stand a chance in his condition. The combination of thirst from no feeding for several weeks with his recent weakened state left him completely driven by his instincts.

And the guard guiding Bella wasn't quick enough.

Milliseconds passed and Edward had nearly drained the human dry before Carlisle and the guard managed to pull him off leaving Bella bleeding out on the marble floor. They fought him until a dark haired boy that had been standing close to Jane stepped forward and subdued him with some sort of fog that he controlled.

She gurgled and coughed blood from where she lay. The crimson of her blood contrasted starkly against the white marble and the smell of her was potent. Several vampires left the room in order to control themselves while others were beginning to inch closer to the dying girl.

"Everyone out," Sulpicia growled and the room cleared faster than Bella could have blinked. Except she couldn't blink because the closing of her eyes made her feel tired. So tired she couldn't open them again. The pain in her throat felt like a distant pain compared to the sleep in her eyelids.

"Alice," Bella managed to cough out as she closed her eyes resigning to the sleep that was trying to consume her. The petite woman was beside her instantly holding the younger woman's hand. "Change—"

That was all Bella could get out before she started coughing and then passed out.

"Change?" Alice said looking over to the queens.

"There isn't enough venom in her system to change her," Athenodora said listening to the rapidly declining heartbeat of the human. "It seems she has chosen you to be her maker."

Alice looked at Bella. Her heartbeat was nearly gone and the blood was no longer pouring from her wounds the way it had. She nodded her head resolutely. "If I can't stop, pull me off."


	4. Chapter 4

Didyme stood over Bella, examining her. It was now day five and she still had not stirred from her sleep. If it weren't for the luscious sheen that had returned to her hair or the faint flush of newborn blood in her cheeks she could have been nothing more than a corpse. A beautiful corpse.

Several guards had moved Bella's body over night while the queens had been busy discussing their latest captives. She now lay within one of the many castle guest rooms in the residential area of the castle. Sulpicia had decided, as she was pacing the room that Bella had formerly lain in, that a more private room would be more appropriate than a changling room. Those rooms were located near the dungeon and were designed to handle the violent outbursts of a newborn's waking but with Bella still comatose, they no longer seemed appropriate to Sulpicia. Didyme knew better though. Sulpicia was getting frustrated and feeling helpless so she did something. Didyme couldn't fault her for her desperate decision. She too was feeling the effects of the long wait. She believed Alice when the psychic said the girl was her mate and even though it wasn't official, Didyme could feel it and slowly she was beginning to see it. During the night a light strand had begun to form between the girl and each of the queens. It was so soft and silvery and nearly disappeared in the sunlight but Didyme could see it.

"You're just taking your time," Didyme said to Bella's sleeping figure. She slid her fingers through the sleeping newborn's hair and began humming softly. The tune was mysterious and soft, a piece from Didyme's youth that sat in her memory like a dream, distant and cloudy. She couldn't remember the words to the piece but she remembered her mother's voice and the comfort and calm that accompanied it.

A slight breeze shifted in through the open window that sat at the edge of her sleeping chambers. It swept over Bella and brought her scent to Didyme's nose. She breathed deeply, lavender and parchment. It was another thing that had changed with the venom in Bella's veins. When she'd first shown her face in the Volturi castle, her scent had been overwhelming. It still lingered in the throne room where her blood had been spilled. It was fruity and intoxicating and reminded Didyme of the wine she'd tasted as a girl.

"Do you plan to sit with her all day?" a voice came from the open door. Didyme turned to see Athenodora leaned casually against the door frame. Her eyes moved across the sleeping Bella. They lingered on her eyes which had yet to open and sighed before moving to stand next to Didyme. "Has there been any change?"

"Her bonds are developing," Didyme said. "They are no thicker than a spider's web and waver from the slightest action of the person they are attached to."

"Do you see what type of bond they are?" Athenodora asked. Didyme's gift had always fascinated her. To be able to see every relationship in a person's life, good or bad, whether or not the person was still present in their lives. It was amazing. She'd always felt a little jealous that of her adoptive sisters, she was the only one without a true gift. Superior wit and strategy can only push a person so far when others have supernatural abilities more than her own.

"Not yet," Didyme said but she smiled. "There are several attached to the three of us. They aren't fully formed but there all the same."

"It seems our dear psychic may yet be correct," Athenodora grinned. "I do hope so. She's beautiful and it's been so long since something this interesting has come along. I'd hate to lose her to that Cullen brat."

"You know," Didyme said standing to walk out the door with her sister. "I always thought he was gay. He always seemed too uninterested in the advances of the women in that other coven with the strange dietary habits."

"Their leader has been very frustrated," Athenodora giggled. As they left the room, Didyme slid her arm into her fellow queen's.

"Their leader isn't the only that has gotten frustrated recently," Didyme said as they wandered through the stone hallways. "I haven't seen Sulpicia pace this much since the Romanians tried to revolt."

"And she still claims she doesn't believe Alice's visions," Athenodora said when they walked into the throne room. As Bella had slept, Sulpicia had spent as much time away from her as she possibly good. She'd thrown herself into her duties. Didyme could see how Bella's condition was effecting Sulpicia. She had refused to even speak to the Cullens yet and instead chose to lock them away in the dungeons with several guards posted to keep them subdued. Didyme knew that it was extreme but it helped Sulpicia feel better.

"Who doesn't believe Alice's visions," Sulpicia said as she emerged for their war room off to the side.

"Why you of course," Didyme said smiling. "We were just discussing your denial regarding our mysterious Bella. Her vampire bonds are beginning to show."

"Do you believe she'll awaken soon?"

"It is possible," Didyme said. "None of us have any way of knowing."

"Dear," Athenodora said, drawing Sulpicia's attention. "I think it's time we talk about what to do with the Cullens."

"I believe I said we should wait until Bella awakens-"

"Yes, but-"

"There is no but," Sulpicia said with a fire in her eyes. "We wait."

"And how long are we going to wait?" Athenodora pushed. "It's been five days and it could be another five before she even twitches."

"It doesn't matter how long. When Bella wakes, we will discuss this."

"What if she doesn't wake?" Didyme asked.

Sulpicia furrowed her eyebrows and the air shifted as she returned to the throne room. Didyme made eye contact with Athenodora before they followed her in there. She was hunched over a map of eastern Europe. Several provinces were circled and some markers were placed in cities. Athenodora knew that these were the locations of several dispatched coven members who were tracking the movement of the Romanians. They'd been quiet since their revolt but that hadn't stopped the Volturi from tracking their movements.

"If she doesn't awake then we kill them all." Sulpicia said it with such a fury that Didyme was sure if she'd been standing too close, the fire that dripped from her words would have set her aflame. Perhaps she'd been too hasty in assuming their leader held no stock in Alice's words. It was so unlike her to show more than apathy towards matters of mating, but if Sulpicia had begun to hold some affection for the changling in their guest room then if Bella did not live, it was unlikely she wouldn't act on her words.

"That seems a bit of a waste," Athenodora stated from where she'd perched herself on the arm of an overstuffed, patterned chair. "Not all of them hold blame for the girl's situation."

"Inaction is blame enough." Sulpicia growled with vehemence. "If Bella dies, so do they. That is final."

Each word was enunciated with a precision that caused spit to expel from her mouth onto the map in front of her. The spots sizzled and burned the aged paper as the venom that constituted her saliva ate at the fibers. Athenodora merely bowed her head in submission seeing Sulpicia so set in her way.

The relationship the three women shared was complicated. Sulpicia was their leader by natural ability and unsaid right, neither Athenodora nor Didyme had found any reason to question it nor did they feel the need to. They felt themselves equal in every way but in matters of indecision the final call often came down to which outcome weighed more favorably in Sulpicia's mind. Her gift gave her an ability to be near omnipotent and Athenodora and Didyme found that their own expertise added well in consultation but lacked in the ability to completely gather information so they allowed themselves to be led in all places except the bedroom.

While the three of them were not mates, they were united by a common bond of royalty. It made life lonely to be raised so high above the common rabble that over time they naturally drifted together and have been inseparable since. It wasn't uncommon in the European covens to be very open and available sexually. They had less stigma towards sexual relationships and understood that they came no strings attached should one eventually find their mate. As a result, the three queens had created a polyamorous relationship of sorts. Now with the addition of Bella it seemed that the three of them had more shared than anticipated.

Sulpicia growled and fisted her hand against the table before turning to look at her fellow rulers. Didyme was still standing near the door watching Sulpicia with soft eyes and a creased brow. She approached her sister slowly. No sudden movements, trying to keep her intentions fully visible to guard from surprise. Sulpicia could often be unpredictable when she was worked up and Didyme knew there was only one way to calm her down.

When she reached Sulpicia, she softly cupped the blonde woman's cheek and pushed herself up on her toes to press her lips to the other woman's. Sulpicia reacted immediately, folding into the smaller woman and soaking up the affection that was offered. It didn't take long before the two women became more heated and for teeth and tongues to clash. Athenodora watched the display with a wry smile on her face knowing that the two would soon break apart and remember she was there before Didyme would guide Sulpicia over to the eldest of them and they would then share their own kiss.

The next several hours would spent in a whirl of writhing bodies and panted exclamations as they sought comfort and pleasure in each other's body. And then they would lay together in a meditative state, relaxing in warm radiance of love and solidarity that existed between them.


	5. Chapter 5

Outside the sun was low on the horizon casting a pink glow across groves of grapes that would soon be harvested and fermented for the wine the country was so known for. The chatter of people could be heard below in the town market where they had gathered to buy their evening groceries or to socialize with their friends and family. None paid any mind to the castle that lie looming above them.

Any native Italian knew the stories of that castle. People would go in and never return. Some say that others would return with a deathly pallor and unnatural beauty, their eyes changed to a ghastly red as though they'd been possessed by a natives knew to never enter that castle but they'd watch and whisper about the American tourists who would ignorantly and enthusiastically walk into their doom.

Sulpicia could recall how Bella had walked when she had first come to the castle. She had been nothing like the tourists that usually came to their castle. Most would excitedly chatter about the architecture of the building and the lords that had once ruled the region. They would talk about how they'd been bloodthirsty and vicious, cruel to the peasants that had farmed the land around their walls. They were who created the stories of vampires that circulated through the village below.

Bella showed no emotion when she came to the castle. She'd stared at the floor, her hair falling in front of her eyes, and she'd walked with her arms firmly clenched against her chest. Her eyes never strayed from the gray marble of the floor. Sulpicia couldn't get over how dead she looked. She looked more undead than any vampire Sulpicia had ever encountered.

"What's on your mind," a voice said from behind Sulpicia. "You've been staring at that wall for near an hour now. I'm beginning to think we didn't wear you out enough."

"You wore me out plenty," Sulpicia said. She rolled over to look at Didyme. They had been laying in bed for several hours after their little tryst. Didyme had been spooning her from behind while Athenodora had lain on the other side of Sulpicia, stretched out like a cat in the sun. They were absorbing the comfort provided by one another as they lay there. It wasn't often that they got a quiet moment to themselves and it was particularly rare that all three would have one at the same time. "I've just been thinking about Bella."

"As we all have," Athenodora said staring at the ceiling. Sulpicia hummed in response.

A knock sounded at the door followed by a voice. "My queens, we have need of you in the dungeons."

Sulpicia growled under her breath, "What has that Cullen brat done this time?"

"It is Alice that summons you," Demetri continued.

"And why should we listen to the summons of someone we hold prisoner," Sulpicia said growling softly.

Demetri cleared his throat awkwardly. "She had a vision about the girl-Bella."

Sulpicia sat up and huffed. She hated being interrupted during her few hours of downtime. Athenodora and Didyme could hear her grumbling under breath and both just smiled it off as Sulpicia's typical post-post-coital bliss wake up.

"We'll be down soon Demetri," Didyme answered casually as she moved from the bed to the closest along the side of the room. After selecting several pieces of clothing, she dressed and finished off with her royal robe. Behind her she could hear the light shuffle which meant her fellow queens were doing the same but she could also hear the slight gasps and giggles which meant that one was doing their best to distract the other. Most likely Athenodora had taken it upon herself to ease Sulpicia's mood before being faced with her subjects. She smiled to herself and moved to the door knowing that they would follow eventually.

As she approached the dungeons, the sound of yelling grew louder. A man's voice was shouting while several others seemed to be trying to calm him. There was the sound of scuffling as well before Didyme heard an undeniable crack of concrete.

"Jane," Didyme said knowing that the younger woman was no doubt somewhere nearby. Milliseconds passed and Jane appeared beside Didyme seemingly out of nowhere.

"Yes?" her high voice said softly, eyes trained on Didyme.

"We may have need of your talents," she said eyeing the hallway towards the dungeons. Jane nodded and followed Didyme down the hallway.

The two women entered the dungeons through a large, black, metal door. On the other side of the door was a set of stone rooms. Each was bare and dark. Any vampire could have easily broken the doors of those rooms. What held them back was that black door. It was rigged with electric charges strong enough to light any of them aflame and any vampire with a will to remain undead knew to stay away.

The dungeons consisted of a wide circle hallway with rooms along the outside made with walls 20 feet thick enforced on the inside with steel. On the inside of the circle hallway was an open room with various medieval torture devices adorning the walls and along the side walls. Most of these devices were merely for show now but there was a time when a more sadistic monarch ruled the castle and made frequent use of the devices on human and vampire alike.

Didyme followed the circle until she reached the other side and what she walked into shocked her.

Standing before her was Edward, eyes as black as the backs of closed eyelids, and in his hands was a head, held by the hair. Alice's head.

Jane jumped to action as soon as she processed the scene and dropped Edward to the floor as if he were no more than a sack of potatoes. Alice's head plunged to the floor and landed with a sickening thud before rolling towards her.


	6. Chapter 6

The throne room was dark. The chandelier overhead completely turned out and only the light of the moon through the stain glass windows to provide visibility. They cast dull color across the floor and strange shadows on the walls. The queens stood in front of their thrones. Several yards in front of them stood the remaining Cullens. Each wore a similar expression-sullen and angry. Jasper wore a grimace as he felt the emotions of every person in the room as well as his own overwhelming grief.

He couldn't stop his mind from wondering to the moment Edward lost it. He couldn't stop himself from wondering why he didn't stop him, why he wasn't fast enough. His brain raced with these thoughts over and over until he felt he'd go insane. He was thankful he didn't have the ability to also read thoughts because the constant chatter combined with his own voice would have sent him straight into the arms of a bonfire.

Didyme watched him closely. His mate bond was undulating violently and the others to his family were near severing. The one that Didyme assumed belonged to Edward had fallen limp at Jasper's side. A dead bond.

"Jasper," Didyme said calling his attention. She could see the pain in his eyes. "You may go."

She saw the silent thank you that he sent her before he was gone. Her persona as a hardened member of the Volturi could only go so far. Every vampire knew never to mess with the effects of a mate bond and Didyme wasn't cruel enough to try. She knew Sulpicia and Athenodora would understand.

"Now," Sulpicia said considering each member of the clan before them. "Which of you is going to volunteer your hand?"

She looked over each of the Cullens before catching eyes with Rosalie. The blonde had her mouth set in a firm line and her eyes were resolved in a steely fire. Sulpicia could tell that she was conflicted about stepping forward. She wanted to but she didn't want to upset her family or submit her mind to the Volturi.

"I promise to only check into the last ten or so hours," Sulpicia said, maintaining eye contact. Rosalie gave a small nod before moving forward to give her hand to Sulpicia. The queen took a deep breath as she was plunged into the blonde's most recent memories. The sensation was not always the most pleasant but kept going. She saw flashes of the coven sitting in silence on the floor of the dungeon, other memories were moments of the family talking or arguing amongst themselves-most notably Edward with Alice. Edward was kept in a separate room away from the rest of his coven but that couldn't stop them from hearing each other.

She slowed the stream of memories when she saw Alice collapsed on the ground with her hand clutching her head and Jasper rubbing soothing circles along her back. Sulpicia assumed this meant the woman was having a vision. She watched as Alice woke from the vision and as she called for a guard to get the queens and the minutes that passed in silence after the guard had left. And then she saw Edward rip the door of the cell from its hinges and throw Alice through the wall beside her. She watched the fight between them, near equal in ability. But Edward was faster and Alice miscalculated. She couldn't see Edward's decisions, he was acting purely on instinct.

Sulpicia released Rosalie's hand and nodded at her. "Thank you."

As Rosalie rejoined her coven, Sulpicia continued speaking mainly to Carlisle, "It is clear that none of you are at fault here. We have already decided that a trial for Edward will be necessary. It is your decision whether or not you would like your situation to added to his list of transgressions."

Carlisle nodded. "Will the rest of our family be standing trial as well?"

Sulpicia stepped aside allowing Athenodora to take over. "That is yet to be decided. We are waiting to see how certain circumstances work themselves out. Seeing of the condition that a member of your coven is in and that you will be needed as witnesses, it is recommended that you stick around regardless."

"Alice's recovery shouldn't be more than a week," Carlisle said. "Will we be here longer?"

"You will leave when we allow it," Athenodora said. Her words were not intended to be harsh but they hung over the coven like a black cloud. "You will be escorted to guest rooms for the time being while our dungeons are repaired."

Resigning themselves to the war room, Sulpicia collapsed into an arm chair with none of her usual grace while Didyme and Athenodora chose to remain standing. The use of her gift often left her weary. It was a side effect she did her best to hide from her subjects but taxing memories left taxing effects.

"What did you see," Didyme asked. Her arms were folded over her chest and her brow was set in a furrow.

"Edward lost it over a vision of Alice's and tried to tear her to pieces."

"What could possibly have driven him that mad?" Athenodora said.

"Alice never said," Sulpicia said. "As soon as she became lucid, she called for Demetri to retrieve us."

"We'll need to speak to Alice," Athenodora said already heading for the door.

"Not yet," Didyme said. "Give her time. She was just beheaded. She may not even be awake yet."

"All of these sleeping vampires," Sulpicia chuckled. "Must be the wine."

"Speaking of sleeping vampires," Didyme said. "We haven't checked on our Isabelle recently. The guards haven't reported in yet so why don't we go see her."

"Do we have any theories yet as to why she hasn't woken?"

"I still believe it has to do with trauma. Though humans are fairly weak in comparison to us, they have a very complicated psyche. If she doesn't want to wake, she wont." Athenodora spoke with such assurance that neither Didyme nor Sulpicia thought to question it. Athenodora had been the sire of more changlings than either of the two combined so they assumed that she would be the expert on the subject. She'd been the leader of numerous armies and had created several newborn armies before they'd been declared illegal. She'd been the one to create that law because she'd seen how it ended with her own eyes.

When they reached the room, Bella still lay on her bed. Nothing had moved since the last they'd been there. Jane was the guard at the door this time. She'd been staring at the girl inquisitively when they entered.

"Anything to report?"

Jane hesitated. "I'm not sure." Athenodora raised an eyebrow at the guard.

"Her scent has changed." Jane returned her gaze to Bella, staring inquisitively. Each queen took their own breath of air simultaneously and found an unfamiliar scent in the air. It had darkened from the lavender and parchment that they'd come to know and now smelled more musky and earthy. It held a touch of pine and moss but was very different from anything that either queen could recall.

"We must wake Alice," Didyme said.

"Alice..." A groan startled the queens. Bella was moving. Her hand had gone to her head and she moaned again repeating Alice's name.

"Bella?" None of the queens were quite sure which of them addressed her, all too shocked to really notice.

When Bella finally shifted again, she rose to a seated position and opened her eyes. She looked no different than she had when she first stalled in her change except for one tiny detail. Her eyes were bright green.


	7. Chapter 7

Green. And so deep that Didyme felt she'd gotten lost in a forest. Bella's green eyes darted so quickly around the room that Didyme could hardly keep up. And then they landed on her and they were filled with such intensity that she felt the breath rush from her stone lungs. Bella's eyes bore into her with such strength, such unadulterated need that Didyme nearly took a step back. But she knew better. Any sudden movement could send a newborn into an all out frenzy and as such all four vampires in the room didn't even breathe for fear of triggering the newborn.

Bella made the first move. She slung her legs to the side of the bed and stood before approaching Didyme slowly. The control that the newborn exhibited over her body unnerved Didyme. She had never seen a newborn so in control of her movements. Most newborn vampires can't figure out how to walk at a human pace until at least after they've fed. But Bella, well Bella was here acting like she'd been a vampire for years.

She approached Didyme almost predatorily. Her scent was rolling off of her in waves engulfing Didyme with every step she made towards the older woman. Each step the newborn made caused a jolt of heat to run between her legs. Didyme of course knew they were mates so it was normal to feel such attraction towards them but she was wholly unprepared for how intense the feeling would be. Just from looking in Bella's eyes and breathing in her scent... well it was like she hypnotized. All she wanted was for Bella to reach out and touch her.

Didyme nearly moaned when Bella finally did. The newborn pulled Didyme's hair from its tight bun on the back of her head and ran her fingers through the silken strands and then settled on playing with a single curl. She leaned in close and ran her nose along Didyme's neck, breathing deeply. When she pulled away her eyes had darkened to nearly black. Didyme bit her lip to keep herself from gasping but the small movement was enough to send Bella into motion.

Bella lunged forward pushing Didyme against the wall behind and simultaneously collided their lips together. Didyme responded with a gasp and then a moan as Bella took the opportunity push her tongue into Didyme's mouth. The scent of the newborn's arousal nearly caused Didyme to lose herself as they became a class of teeth and tongue and touch.

Bella moved her mouth down to Didyme's neck where she took to nipping at it and lavishing the bite marks with her tongue. Didyme couldn't help the soft moan that escaped her mouth under Bella's ministrations and her head fell back against the wall to allow the newborn more access which Bella happily accepted.

And suddenly Bella was gone.

And there was screaming.

It took Didyme several moments to regain her sensibilities before she looked down to see that Bella had collapsed onto the floor and was now writhing in pain. Without even a thought, Didyme glared at Jane.

"Enough," the queen said. Jane nodded her head and released the newborn from her gift. Bella remained on the floor, panting heavily with her eyes closed.

Didyme watched the brunette recovered and tried to ignore the feelings of disappointment that had risen in her stomach at the interruption. She moved to the newborn's side and softly moved a few strands of hair from her face before smiling. "I applaud the enthusiasm my dear," Didyme chuckled. "But perhaps in a bit more private venue next time.

Bella nodded still panting on the ground and Athenodora laughed. "Well at least we know she feels it now."

Bella let out a groan and sat up holding a hand to her head, shielding her eyes from the other vampires in the room. "What happened? Was I hit by a truck?"

"In a manner of speaking," Sulpicia said gesturing to Jane who smiled at her queen sheepishly. "How do you feel?"

"Like I want to dig a hole and hide in it." Bella flopped down onto the ground and closed her eyes once again. "I don't know what came over me."

"You're a newborn Bella," Sulpicia said. "It is not uncommon for newborns to have such a reaction."

"You displayed immense control regardless," Athenodora added. "I have never seen a newborn just get up and walk like a human."

Bella opened her eyes only to lock them on the ceiling and scrunch her eyebrows up in confusion. She hadn't even thought about how she moved. She'd only been thinking about Didyme. How Didyme looked, how Didyme would feel, how Didyme would taste...

Even thinking about it now caused Bella's mouth to fill with venom. She'd felt the uncontrollable urge to bite Didyme when she'd first scented her but when she made eye contact the feeling morphed into an unsatiable lust. What scared her the most was that until she had met Didyme's eyes, the desire to bite hadn't been out of lust. It came from hunger.

Didyme watched as Bella brought her hand to her throat and rubbed it gently, no doubt feeling the burn of her thirst. She knew she needed to take the newborn hunting but Bella had yet to truly acknowledge the other vampires in the room. She had no idea that she had two more mates and she wouldn't know until she finally made eye contact with them. Didyme wasn't even sure if Bella realized that the pull she was feeling towards Didyme was a mate bond. She could see the mate bond had been formed between herself and Bella but that the ropes that bound Bella with Sulpicia and Athenodora still wavered.

"Bella," Didye called softly pulling the newborn from her troubled thoughts. "I want you to look at me."

The newborn sat up and brought her eyes to the dark haired brunette who stood in front of her. Didyme noticed how the newborn's eyes lingered as they worked their way up her body and Didyme couldn't help the small twitch of a small that lingered on her lips.

"What do you feel?" Didyme asked. Bella's forehead wrinkled in thought and upon seeing the confusion on her face, Didyme reiterated, "What do you feel when you look at me?"

Bella thought about it a moment before she spoke. "I feel drawn to you... I... I want you." Her head turned down and she let her hair fall across her face as she spoke but despite that her voice had dropped to a low and husky timbre and Didyme felt a small tingle of delight travel through her spine.

"Now look at them," Didyme said pointing to where Athenodora and Sulpicia stood next to each other. She saw the way Bella's eays darkened when she did and how Bella had to swallow a mouthful of venom. The bonds around the three of them flared to life in a brilliant gold before settling into their usual hum.

"There we go," Didyme whispered quietly to herself. "That's my girl."

Bella shivered at the praise and Didyme made sure to not that for the future before paying attention to how she interacted with the other queens.

"Well fuck," Bella said. The arousal was strong in the air now and Bella was doing her best to control herself despite it all. "Guess Edward isn't my mate then huh?"

Sulpicia let out a growl. "He certainly is not."

Jane, who had managed to block out most of the pheromones suffocating the room, still remained. She'd been watching every exchange with intense curiosity and something had unnerved her. When Bella had been in frenzy, Jane couldn't shake the feeling that it was more than a sexual frenzy. Bella was going to feed on Didyme. It was normal for mates to share a bite when fully mated but it didn't usually involve full extended fangs. Bella displayed hers like she was hunting pray. She knew it could have merely been her newborn lack of control but she'd also just displayed how in control she could be. It didn't sit right with Jane.

"We need to get you fed," Jane said moving attention to her hoping that it would dispel the building tension in the room.

"Ah, yes," Athenodora said, disappointment evident on her face. "I suppose that is a necessity."

"I will take her," Jane continued ensuring that she made contact with Sulpicia hoping that the woman would catch her look.

Sulpicia nodded in agreement and reached her hand out gripping Jane's. "Thank you for thinking of our Bella, Jane. It is very appreciated."

Bella sent the queens several longing looks before Jane could finally drag her out of the room. She only left after she was given a guarantee that this would last no longer than a few hours and she would soon be back with her queens.

"And what exactly did dear Jane show you?" Athenodora said with a raised eyebrow once she was sure the two were out of ear shot.

"My dear Didyme," Sulpicia said turning to her sister. "It seems that our lovely Bella was going to make a meal of you in more than one way."


	8. Chapter 8

"Why on Earth would Jane think that?" Didyme asked, more to herself than anyone else. Bella had been very quick to initiate sexual advances but Didyme had never felt threatened by them. She'd felt a large number of feelings, all of them very pleasant actually.

"Bella's fangs." Sulpicia said. "They were fully extended."

The three women left the changling room and moved towards their war room discussing Bella. They came to the conclusion that Jane's imagination must have been running wild from the excessive number of pheromones in the room. Newborns had a hard time controlling their bodies and didn't often know what they were doing. It was only natural that Bella would exhibit some odd behavior. She'd only been a vampire for five minutes. How did they expect her to act? They'd just need to talk to Bella when she came back.

The first year as a vampire was a tumultuous one at best. And considering the situation Bella found herself in, it would be more chaotic than most. Her best friend, from the family of vampires who abandoned her to her death, had been beheaded by her ex-boyfriend and said best friend's brother and now the entire family of vampires had shown up to save her only to be imprisoned by her three mates who also just happened to be the rulers of all vampire kind. It sounded more like a teenage romance novel than real life and that wasn't even including the strange phenomenon of Bella's eyes.

Neither Sulpicia nor Didyme had any inklings of knowledge about green eyed vampires. The only circumstance Athenodora could come up was a myth never seen before so she dismissed it entirely. It involved gods and magic and even more mysticism than even a vampire could believe in.

As a result, the three women waited anxiously trying to ignore the more dramatic sides of their imagination. They all trusted Jane implicitly but that didn't stop the worry caused by being separated from their newly found mate.

About two hours after coming to the throne room, the heard the unmistakable sound of Jane's running through the halls. They heard a somewhat longer stride accompanying hers and assumed it to be of Bella's. The door burst open in a rush but rather than seeing their Bella, they found Jane accompanied by Alice. A new scar was formed around the psychic's neck where her head was rejoining with her body. They seemed exhausted as though they'd been running miles as fast as they could.

"What is going on," Sulpicia said. "Alice you should still be lying down, healing. And where is Bella?"

Sulpicia reached her hand out to Jane who quickly locked them together. Her eyes closed as she sifted through the last two hours of Jane's memory before dropping her hand and turning to Alice. Alice knew to give Sulpicia her hand as well and could see the furrow of the Queen's brow form as she watched what had played out in the last day of Alice's life. She saw the vision that had sent Edward into a rage but the oddity was that they couldn't actually see Bella.

"We need to get to Bella," Sulpicia said turning to the others. "There isn't time to explain but we must get to her quickly."

"She's just outside the city limits," Jane said.

The five women left the castle in haste offering no clue to her guards as to where they were going.

"Stay. We'll be back soon."

Alec had nearly joined them seeing the way his sister looked unnerved. Not much could stir up Jane and when something did, it was no small matter. But after seeing the stern look directed at him by all three queens, he quickly removed the thought from his mind and smiled apologetically at Jane.

They tore through the forest, Jane leading the way. Sulpicia would give her sisters no explanation only insisting they get to Bella. Didyme could only think the worst. Bella had massacred a village or attacked another vampire or etc etc. The thoughts raced through her mind.

Athenodora could only think more and more that her theory might actually have some merit but there was no way to know until they knew what was happening. She knew it couldn't have been life threatening whatever was causing the fuss because if it were, Didyme would have noticed. She'd have seen the disappearance of the bonds.

The scene they found when they reached Bella did indeed look like a massacre. Blood soaked the earth in every inch of the clearing. Several bodies were crumpled nearby on the ground, obvious signs of newborn feeding as their throats were a bloodied, gory mess. And in the middle of it all was Bella.

She was kneeled on the ground, hunched forward breathing heavily. Her body was shaking and she somehow looked paler. Sulpicia watched her carefully, holding her arm out to ensure that neither her sisters nor Alice ran out to help the girl.

Bella made a growling sound that sounded wet and bloody and more like a violent gurgle than a growl. What followed was a retch unlike anything Sulpicia had ever seen. Bella's whole body rose from the ground before she purged the contents of her stomach out in front of her. The mix of blood and venom smelled vile and boiled like acid on the ground.

"She's rejecting the change," Sulpicia whispered, disbelief heavy in her voice and sorrow weighing down her eyes.

"No," Alice said, her eyes fogged and unfocused, in a vision. She touched Sulpicia's shoulder gently before moving past her. She moved cautiously not wanting to startle the newborn who was now shaking violently and letting out soft sobs.

"Bella," Alice whispered. Bella looked up, shocked to see her friend.

"You're okay-" She began to retch again.

Alice gently rubbed Bella's shoulder as she finished and coughed. And then to the shock of the queens and Jane she pushed her wrist in front of Bella's face.

"Bite," she ordered gently. Bella looked up at her wide eyed before trying to shake her head at the other woman. "Bella do it."

She didn't have the strength to fight Alice and she felt her fangs extend as she caught the scent of Alice in front of her. It made venom pool in her mouth. Before she could stop to question it, she sank her fangs into Alice's wrist and felt the cool venom from her body flood through her aching throat. Alice groaned as Bella began to feed on her.

It felt like nothing Alice had ever experienced. She knew the queens wouldn't like this and she was bound to pay the consequences later but Bella needed her. Pleasure and pain mixed in an almost sexual ecstasy. She closed her eyes as Bella fed trying to keep her reactions controlled.

She could hear one of the queens beginning to growl as Bella began to let out a low grumble in her chest that sounded distinctly like purring.

"Bella," Alice said softly trying to get the newborn's attention but knowing it likely would take force to pull her away. "Bella come on, that's enough."

Alice put her hand to the back of Bella's head and gripped her hair to begin pulling her back. She hoped she wouldn't have to get agressive but it looked as if the newborn wasn't going to give up without a fight. Sighing Alice looked over at Jane. She winced a little as Bella bit in harder. "Jane can you..."

Jane looked to Sulpicia. There was anger in the queen's eyes. Anger and remorse. Reluctantly she gave a nod.

Bella fell to the ground with a scream clutching her head. It lasted only half a second and Jane released her control.

Moments passed in silence. No one dared move. Didyme was the first to speak. She called Bella's name but their mate remained unresponsive. She moved closer and knelt down beside the newborn who had curled in on herself. She gently rested a palm on Bella's shoulder and she could feel her shaking. A glance at her face told Didyme everything she needed to know and without hesitation, Didyme pulled Bella into her chest and cradled her there.

She began to softly sing, "aggelos eisai matia mou." A song from her homeland in Greece. Bella turned further into Didyme's shoulder, her sobbing easing with each passing lyric.

When Didyme stopped Bella could only whisper, "I'm sorry."

"Whatever for dear?"

"Alice..." she said raising her head. Alice approached them with an apologetic smile on her face.

"You didn't hurt me." She held up her wrist. "See I'm nearly healed, it'll just be a little scar. Jasper will understand." Bella didn't look convinced.

"I don't understand," Bella said removing herself from Didyme's embrace. "Why did I-"

"I think I can explain that," Athenodora said stepping forward.


	9. Chapter 9

"She's one of the Cursed," Athenodora said. Bella's brows furrowed as she focused on Athenodora. She couldn't get a read off of her and neither could the others. She showed no emotion whatsoever and the only giveaway that she was concerned was in her eyes. The blonde's eyes were completely black and Bella could have dived into them and never found a way out.

Bella glanced at Sulpicia and Didyme, searching for signs of understanding. Sulpicia had her hand raised to her chin and nodded once while Didyme look apprehensive. But both acted like this was just common knowledge.

"I thought they'd all been killed."

"I thought so too," Athenodora said.

"But Anstice," Sulpicia said.

"Anstice missed one it seems," Athenodora said quietly gazing at Bella. There was a mixture of emotions swirling beneath Athenodora's eyes now and among them was regret.

"Could someone clue us in," Alice said from beside Bella. Bella had gripped Alice's hand for comfort when Athenodora started speaking and her grip had only gotten tighter with each exchange. Alice seemed to have noticed.

Didyme turned to Bella and smiled sympathetically. It didn't quite look real. "Do you know how our kind came to be?"

Bella shook her head.

"Well," Athenodora said. "It all started with a man named Tibalt."

"In ancient Greece, when the gods still walked the Earth, there was a demigod named Tibalt. He was the son of one of the lesser gods and was half human. As such, he was never truly accepted into the realm of the gods. He became frustrated and angry. Not even his own mother would accept me. So he sought revenge.

He played as a double agent between Zeus and Hades. Hades had never forgiven Zeus for tricking him into the Underworld and Zeus knew that. Tibalt was able to play on those fears, never truly on either side, feeding them lies and deceit causing civil war among the gods. They'd nearly torn themselves apart in all the fighting. But one slip up and Tibalt was caught.

It was well known that Zeus had a temper and he nearly killed Tibalt where he stood for his deceit. But Hades stepped in offering another solution.

Tibalt's soul was split into two; one part, supernatural and the other, human. The human half, Deion, now mortal, joined the living. And the other, Timeus, was cursed to run the night living only off the life of others. He was the first of our kind.

When Zeus banished him to Earth he warned him of the consequences of tampering with Deion. And should he ever disobey Zeus's law, it would result in a fate worse than death.

Timeus listened for a time. He remained hidden from civilization and tried to stay away from humans for as long as possible. But he became weak and ill. He had to submit to his beastial instincts to survive. Timeus was commonly thought to be all of the bad aspects of Tibalt. He had received the punishment for Tibalt's misdeeds and he had to kill to survive. But he was a softhearted man. He took no pleasure from the suffering and killing of humans.

He trained himself to stop in the middle of his feeding before he killed them and he felt better. He felt his life was less of a burden, until he learned their fate. Those who he'd been strong enough to pull away from were corrupted and turned by his bite. When he learned of this, he screamed to the heavens in shame of what he did. He never wanted to harm others and he cursed Tibalt for his vengeful nature.

He promised himself to help those he cursed and he gathered them together has his family and followers. He created the first coven.

Realizing what his venom was capable of was both a blessing and a curse to Tibalt. He was now no longer alone but Timeus was haunted by thoughts of Deion. Could he possibly rejoin him if he shared his venom? He meditated and worried and marveled over the possibilities to the point where Zeus's warning was nothing but a ghost of an echo.

He set out to find Deion, leaving his coven behind and promising to return a better man. Promising to return with a solution to his curse. He found Deion in a small village near the ocean. He had created a family for himself with a wife and several children. They owned a farm and he was a simple shepherd. He looked to have a good life, far happier than Timeus's would ever be.

Timeus felt ashamed that he was willing to risk Deion's happiness for a slim chance at his own. He was preparing to leave before they saw him when he caught Deion's scent in the air. It sent him into a frenzy; Deion was his singer. He couldn't stop himself from nearly draining Deion dry. He managed to pull himself away but not before enough venom had entered Deion's veins to initiate the change.

Timeus collapsed in grief over his other half. He sobbed and clutched the lifeless body to his own in mourning as he wept only the way one who had just seen their happiness slip from their fingers could. Eventually he pulled Deion away with him into the forests watching as the change overtook his body. It took longer than usual. Five days.

At the end of five days, Deion awoke. His eyes blazed green and his fangs dipped out of his mouth. Before either man had said a word, Deion was on Timeus draining him the way a human does one of those juice pouches they are so fond of. When Deion was finished, he tossed Timeus into the sea never to be seen again. And Deion wandered the rest of his life in agony, slowly starving to death without his maker to feed from. Eventually he shriveled to dust."

Bella chanced a glance at Alice when she felt how the other woman's hand tightened around hers. Alice tried to smile at Bella but her body had gone rigid and it just turned into a grimace. Bella swallowed heavily as she returned her attention to Athenodora.

"The creature that Deion turned into was one of the Cursed. They are like vampires in all aspects but their feeding habits. They must feed from their makers or they will die as Deion did.

One of Timeus's changelings, Anstice, our maker, devoted his life to exterminating every one of Deion's descendants for fear that the curse would be passed on and threaten the exposure of our kind.

We thought he'd succeeded."

"Apparently they missed one," Sulpicia said. Bella wasn't sure but she felt that there was an underlying disgust in Sulpicia's tone and she began to feel anxious about her safety. She gripped Alice's hand and tried to take several calming breaths. She felt the world was spinning and closing in on herself. Alice sensing Bella's distress pulled the newborn around to face her. She brushed a few strands of hair from her face and locked eyes with the newborn.

"Bella," she whispered and gave her shoulders a gentle shake. "It will be okay. We don't know for sure yet that this is what you are."

"I don't know," Bella gave an exhausted laugh. "There's some pretty tough evidence against me."

"Can Cursed feed from other vampires who are not their maker," a voice said quietly from the edge of the clearing. It was Jane. She had remained unnoticed through the entire exchange, contemplating all that was being said. "If Cursed can only drink from their makers then why was Bella trying to feed on Didyme?"

Jane brought her eyes down from the treetops she'd been examining and raised an eyebrow. Didyme scowled slightly but conceded it was a good point.

"I don't know," said Athenodora.

"Regardless," Didyme said stepping in. "None of this changes anything. Bella is our mate. We are not going to kill her because she may or may not be some mythical creature." Didyme sent a knowing eye towards her sisters who were remaining suspiciously unaffected.

"We will talk about this later," Athenodora said quietly. "We should return to the castle."

"Bella," Alice said softly. "Are you feeling better?"

Bella nodded dumbly. This couldn't be happening. She had finally gotten what she wanted; the change, a mate, a trip to Italy. And it all had to be ruined by even more supernatural bullshit. If she wasn't so afraid of whether or not they'd kill her, she would be pissed. They were her mates, wouldn't they immediately have assured her that she wouldn't die? So far only Didyme had said anything of the sort and even then she didn't sound too convinced.

"Maybe I shouldn't go back?" She hadn't meant to say it out loud but the minute it slipped from her lips she'd wished she kept her mouth shut.

"If you leave then we'll only have to come after you," Sulpicia said. Sulpicia's eyes were deadly and her mouth set firmly in a scowl that made all thoughts of fleeing, flee from her mind. So maybe running wasn't the best idea but staying here didn't sound like too great of an option either.

"Bella it will be okay," Alice said. The psychic placed her hand on Bella's lower back and rubbed soft circles as they walked. The feeling nearly lulled Bella into the state of a walking zombie, it felt so nice to be comforted. If Alice was confident then she could be too. So distracted was she by the comfort of Alice that she failed to notice the looks the three queens were giving her.

They watched her from a distance, the two women in front of them with Jane leading the way. Bella was leaning heavily into the psychic's touch in a way that made Sulpicia's stomach coil into knots. When they finally reached the castle, Sulpicia was ready to send Alice back to the dungeons but the desperate look that Bella made when she opened her mouth to speak convinced her not to. She sent the two to Bella's chambers while she and her sisters retired to the war room. Each one looked and felt exhausted. They all collapsed in most undignified way into their respective places and remained silent for several minutes before Didyme broke.

"We won't kill her," Didyme said. "She is our mate."

Sulpicia let out a sigh. "Well of course we don't want to kill her but we can't take the option off the table. We are rulers. We have to think of our subjects first." She rubbed her temples roughly.

"If this leaks out into the masses, they will call for her death," Athenodora said. "You know this as well as I do. And her connection to the Cullens will only make her a large target for scrutiny. Obviously we won't kill her Didyme. But we have a lot to think about regarding our little Bella."

Didyme nodded and smiled slightly, feeling further relieved that at least her sisters were on the same page as her. "Then I see no problem. We keep Bella in the castle and do not tell anyone. Those who begin to grow suspicious can be taken care of, that is why we have Chelsea."

"I can't imagine Bella would be happy with that arrangement," Sulpicia said.

"We won't know until we talk to her," Didyme said. "You sent the poor girl off with the idea that she has only hours left of her life. I think she'd prefer being confined to the castle."

"I'd say she's probably being well distracted by that psychic of hers," Athenodora said. She tried to make it sound like it didn't bother her but grimace on her face proved otherwise. "We'll have to be cautious about that one."

"Alice and Bella are close," Didyme said recalling the bonds between the two. "Far closer than any of the others in her life and as of right now, their bond has had no diminishing effects on our own with Bella."

"We will need to keep an eye on it," Sulpicia said. She recalled the way Alice had reacted to Bella feeding off of her. The sexual energy had been palpable even if it hadn't been acted upon. "If Bella can't feed from anyone else, they will need to be supervised."

"Do you think she could feed on others?" Didyme asked.

"It is possible I suppose," Athenodora said picking up where Sulpicia began. "She is nearly four millennia descended from Deion. Her blood has been incredibly diluted."

"Perhaps we should call upon Carlisle," Didyme said.

"Perhaps," Athenodora said staring off into the distance. She was looking out the window as the clouds passed by. It was near dawn now and the sun was beginning to light the sky.

"There is another matter we need to deal with as well," Athenodora continued. "The little Cullen monstrosity needs to be put down."

"He will go to trial," Sulpicia said smiling at Athenodora. "And after that we will decide, with Bella, what to do with all of the Cullens. We now owe Alice for Bella's life."

"Jane," Sulpicia said, waving a hand at the door. "Retrieve the psychic and bring her here."

They waited in silence for several minutes before the door burst open and Alice marched in. The anger was evident in her face and the fact that she had nearly busted the doors off their hinges didn't help. She was seething. How dare they? How dare they leave Bella like that? Letting her think that they were going to kill her? What kind of mates were they?

Alice said all that and more to the queens before she finally calmed down enough for the queens to get a word in.

"My," Sulpicia said. "Quite brave aren't we dear? To barge into the den of royalty and insult them to their face, you must be quite angry?"

"How could I not be?" Alice huffed but had the decency to look sheepish. "You can't kill Bella."

"Why on Earth would we do that?" Didyme interjected. Alice looked at her like she'd grown three heads. "Bella is our mate. We are not going to kill her. That is not even an option."

"Yes, Didyme is right," Sulpicia added. "We are not going to kill Bella. We simply need to discuss the matter of her safety in private. If word gets out about who she is, there is no telling the sort of trouble that could come our way. The Romanians are waiting for a reason to question our leadership and this would give them reason to come out of the shadows."

Alice relaxed at this. Bella would be safe. Or at least Bella wouldn't be killed which for now was a good second. She smiled slightly at Sulpicia who gave her a knowing nod.

"The reason I called you here," Sulpicia said. "Is because I would like to know more about the vision you had while we were in the clearing. What did you see?"

Alice paused. This isn't what she'd been expecting. She hardly remembered that she'd had a vision at all because it had felt more like an instinct than anything else. She saw Bella laying on the ground, heaving in pain and instinct had told her she needed to get Bella to bite her. "I didn't really have a vision. I just acted."

"How did you know?" Athenodora said, an idea growing in her mind.

"I had a flash of a vision maybe," Alice said. They'd happened before; a shape or an action would pop through her mind as if only a passing thought and then it would play out in front of her. "I saw a flash of Bella biting into my wrist and the rest was just instinct."

"The complicated relationship of a maker and their Curséd," Athenodora said. "It seems there is more to this than we have yet seen."

Didyme rose from her seat and paced the room for a few second before turning to Alice, "when Bella saw you standing in the clearing, she asked if you were okay. She was already days deep in the change before the altercation between you and your brother happened. How did she know?"

Again Alice paused. She hadn't considered that. In fact, she hadn't even noticed. She was too concerned with Bella that she didn't think to question her reaction. "I don't know..."

Athenodora hummed in response. "You are dismissed Alice."

Alice turned to leave the room when she was stopped by Didyme. "Oh and one more thing. Should Bella need to feed again any time soon, please be advised to do so in our presence or at least with Jane. We wouldn't want there to be any incidents."

Alice didn't need to be a genius to pick up on the multiple meanings in Didyme's request, or rather, warning. They knew how she'd reacted when Bella had fed from her which meant her life was about to get much more difficult.


	10. Chapter 10

Alice returned to Bella's room at a slow walk. She knew Bella was panicking but she wasn't doing so great herself. All she wanted to do was save Bella and now she was going to have to act as a blood bag for her for the rest of eternity? She loved Bella but she wasn't sure she loved Bella enough to give up her own freedom. She wondered if there was a way that it could be cured. Timeus had thought there might be and maybe he was onto something, Alice only wished she could get down to the dungeons to talk to Carlisle and Jasper. They may know something of this.

She hadn't even considered how her family would react. Alice herself hadn't fully processed it yet. Was she disgusted or angry? She didn't know. She knew this wasn't Bella's fault. If anything it was Edward's and now she and Bella would be paying the consequences for the rest of their immortal lives. That did make her angry. She'd tear Edward's head off and set it aflame herself if she had the option. Alice paused outside of Bella's chambers and took several deep breaths. She knew Bella could hear her, she was just on the other side of the door but she wasn't ready to look her in the eyes yet.

They remained silence when they first returned to the room; Bella going immediately to the bathroom to shower and Alice taking a seat at the desk. Now Bella was going to be there with questions she didn't have answers to and entirely too much time to panic. Poor Bella. That was really all it came down to. Poor Bella. The girl came here to die instead got an even worse fate; she was an immortal hated by her own kind and mated to the very people who will likely will kill her, even if they say they won't. Eventually a day will come when their kingdom will come first and Bella won't. Alice couldn't help but feel completely guilty and completely sorry for herself at the same time.

She sighed and finally pushed the door open only to be tackled to the ground by a very distraught Bella. "I thought they were going to kill you!" Bella's face pressed against her neck and her arms wrapped around Alice tightly. "I thought they were going to kill you and then what would I do?"

"Bella," Alice tried to coo. "It's okay. I'm alive. You're alive. No one is dead yet."

"Yet." Bella said refusing to get up off of Alice, like an indignant child. "They're going to kill me aren't they?"

"No Bella," Alice said attempting to unwind the newborn's arms from around her ribs. She could feel them groan under the pressure and knew if Bella squeezed much harder, her ribs would likely snap. "Sulpicia told me herself. They aren't going to kill you. They just have a lot to think about. Others will see you as a danger to their kingdom but you're also their mate."

"Alice I don't want to die." Dry heaves wracked through her body causing her to shake on top of Alice. Alice's heart broke for the girl. She didn't deserve this. Alice managed to get her arms around Bella and pick her up before carrying her to the bed and dropping onto the mattress. She quickly followed pulling Bella's head into her chest and wrapping her arms around the distraught woman.

For months Bella wanted nothing more than the release of death. She was abandoned by every person she cared about and couldn't keep on. Now she had a new chance at life. She had a chance at happiness and love and family and it was ruined because of some dead guy four thousand years ago who she shared one trillionth of DNA with. That literally rounded to zero percentage wise and she was stuck with the consequences. The consequences a demi-god deserved and not some human whose worst sin was lying to her father.

This brought a thought to Alice's mind. One she hadn't even considered yet. Was Bella a demi-god? That was such a small percentage, but it was enough to corrupt her entire physiology. Was it possible she was also a demi-god? Did they even still exist? She wished more and more with every passing moment that she had Jasper to talk to. He'd know what to do. He was always the voice of reason in their relationship and she needed that now more than ever.

"Alice," Bella whispered pulling the psychic from her thoughts.

"Hm?"

"Do they have any humane ways of death in the vampire world? I don't want it to hurt." Bella whispered.

"Shhh Bella," Alice said. "You don't need to think of that. Sulpicia said she won't kill you. None of them will and if they ever decide to, I'll know. I'll be able to save you."

Bella pushed herself closer to Alice. "I'm sorry you're involved in this," Bella whispered.

"It's not your fault Bella."

"Yes it is." Bella sounded distraught, like if it was possible she'd be sobbing. "If I hadn't asked you to change me none of this would ever of happened."

"I would have changed you even if you didn't ask," Alice admitted. She wouldn't have been able to sit by and watch Bella die. And if it wasn't Alice it would have been Edward or Carlisle or Esme or even the Queens. None of them would let Bella die. "Any of us would have changed you. We love you too much to give you up."

"Then why did you?"

Alice's breath froze in her throat. She knew the day would come when she would need to answer this question. She saw visions of it from the moment they decided to leave. Maybe that's why they left, she knew it wouldn't be permanent?

"No answer I give you will be enough," Alice whispered. "I knew it wasn't permanent, even if Edward was convinced he could prevent us from seeing you. He truly thought he was doing what was best for you. He might be over-protective and completely insane but he did care about you in his own messed up way."

Alice paused and pulled away from Bella and sat up. Bella followed watching her closely. "You have to know that that will be one of the biggest regrets of my life. We never should have left. I never should have left even if everyone else did. But I couldn't leave Jasper either. It tore me apart but I knew it wasn't permanent. We were meant to be family, Bella. That part of my visions has never changed."

A knock came on the door and Jane entered soon after. "Bella," she said. "The queens wish to speak to you. Alice you may accompany her if you please."

Bella looked at Alice who reached out her hand and patted Bella on the thigh. "You're not alone in this Bella."

Bella nodded and stood moving to the door. She waited briefly for Alice to join her and they moved to the throne room. At the back behind the thrones they opened the dark wooden door and entered the queens' war room. Bella couldn't help but smile a little that it was called a war room when it was meant more for relaxation and conversation than planning for war. When she entered she saw only two of the queens present. Athendora and Sulpicia. Bella shivered as the anxiety rolled over her skin. Since she'd awoken Didyme had been the buffer for her. The safe one. The predictable one. She helped Bella understand the other two and now she wasn't here. Bella grabbed Alice's hand and clenched it tight.

Sulpicia saw the movement and grimaced. "Bella, I know you are nervous but I promise you that you are safe here."

"We are sorry for the impression we left you with earlier," Athenodora added. "You see, we have spent thousands of years believing that your kind was extinct. To learn that that wasn't the truth has shaken us somewhat and we did not consider your feelings about our actions."

"We would like to make it up to you," Sulpicia said. Bella looked at her skeptically. She knew they were supposed to be her mates but she didn't trust them. Sulpicia seemed genuine enough as did Athenodora but she didn't completely buy their reasoning. She didn't answer them for several moments so Sulpicia rose from her chair and approached a door to the far end of the room which Bella hadn't noticed in her few other visits to the room. "Please follow us."

Bella let Athenodora and Sulpicia lead the way through what Bella assumed was one of those secret tunnels that only the royal members of the family are privy to as protection. It was a small dark hall with no lighting except from the entrance and exit. It smelled of mold and the air was dank and wet. Bella crinkled her nose. At the other end of the fairly short tunnel was a similar door to the first.

Sulpicia pulled a key out of her robes and turned to Bella. She handed the key to her without a word and then stood aside to allow Bella access to the door. Bella glanced down at the key in her hand. It was small and made of cast iron. The blade was roughly cut and the bow was worn from use. She pushed the key into the notch on the door and turned it waiting to hear the tumblers click. It took several tries from the old key before Bella was able to push open the old wooden door.

"What was on the other side nearly took Bella's breath away. It was a library. It wasn't large by any means but was stacked to the ceiling with shelves, books spilling from their ledges. Three of the four walls, including the one Bella was entering from, were covered in full bookshelves and the fourth wall was entirely stained glass.

The scene in the stained glass portrayed a young woman pulling an apple from a tree. The branches of the tree bloomed straight up and past the ceiling and across the entire top of the wall. The background glass was a brilliant sky blue which only seemed intensified by the real sky behind it. And the woman—well the woman was the most beautiful piece of art she had ever seen. Rich, dark skin and even darker hair contrasted against the white robe on her body. Her eyes sparkled like emeralds in the sun. It all sparkled really. It was like it was made of diamonds and the most well cut gem stones on earth.

"Wow," Bella whispered. Sulpicia and Athenodora were smiling from where they stood against the side wall. Sulpicia remembered seeing in Edward's mind that Bella had a certain proclivity for books and while Sulpicia had intended from the moment they knew Bella was their mate to gift her this room, she felt now was the best time. Bella moved toward the stained-glass window and trailed her fingers along the green class at the bottom. When she finished marveling at the window she turned and Sulpicia nearly laughed at the way her jaw dropped. From the door, you could only see part of the library's collection but from where Bella stood, you could see nearly all of the two hundred stacks of books that ran rows all through the room. The stacks expanded off from the area they stood in and stretched out like the arms of a star from there to the right and left and at the center was a cozy collection of chairs and sofas.

"This is amazing," Bella whispered. Her eyes moved from stack to stack taking in everything she could.

"This has been my secret library since we took over this castle," Sulpicia said. She looked around at the shelves remembering all the time she spent collecting the books and then pouring through them. "Each book in here is a one of a kind. Many of them in languages I don't even know. Some books are hundreds of years old and hand written. There are several all the way to the end of the left wall that are in glass cases because they can't even be picked up without crumbling."

Bella nodded dumbly. She was completely awestruck.

"I'm giving this library to you," Sulpicia said.

"Huh?" Bella said and turned to the queen. She looked even more awestruck now. "No," she said. "I couldn't possibly—this is too much—I can't even read most of these languages."

"You'll have time to learn," Sulpicia smiled. She hoped that this would help Bella understand that they truly did not have any ill intentions for her. She knew they made a mistake earlier in how they treated her. "I don't have time anymore to appreciate the books in this room. Many of them have been forgotten by their own languages. If you like it, I would like you to have these."

"Sulpicia couldn't admit how nervous this made her. If Bella declined her gift she was unsure of what she would do. Didyme was good at being kind and generous. Athenodora rarely made mistakes to have to be. Sulpicia just didn't have practice. And this all felt strangely new and intimate to the queen.

"Sulpicia," Bella said. It was the first time she said her name and the queen couldn't hold back the smile that lit up her face. "This is amazing. I don't know what to say."

"Say thank you," Athenodora joked from where she dropped herself on a sofa. Bella laughed.

"Thank you," Bella said. "This is more than I ever could have asked for."

Sulpicia smiled. "You can come here whenever you like. That key is yours now." She turned to Alice. "You, of course, are welcome as well. I am sorry for the hostility we have treated you with when we owe you a debt of gratitude."

Alice's eyebrows rose, and her pupils widened in surprise. She definitely had not seen an apology coming her way. She understood that mates got protective, but this was unprecedented. The Volturi hardly ever apologized for their actions.

"Um—thank you?" Alice said. "Honestly, I wasn't taking it personally. If I were in your shoes and Bella was my mate, I would feel just the same about the situation. I will try to make it as easy on you as possible."

Sulpicia nodded.

Athenodora cleared her throat grabbing their attention. "Speaking of the situation," she said. "We have called in a favor to a friend. Eleazar Denali, who you know well," referring to Alice, "is coming to visit. He has gift that involves reading other's gifts and we believe it might be possible he can tell just what your limits are. There may be a possibility you can feed from others, but we would like a second opinion before we put that to the test. Carlisle will also be examining you. If there is a chance we can cure this, we would like for you to have that option."

"Why can't I just try feeding from others right away?" Bella asked. "Wouldn't I just throw it up if it isn't okay?"

"After considering how you reacted to the human blood back in the forest, we've decided it isn't worth the risk," Sulpicia said.

"Vampire venom is much more potent and when mixed with another's venom it can have some fairly potent effects. That is why mated pairs bite each other," Athenodora said. Bella would have blushed at the implication if she had blood. "We would like to have as much information as possible before we go any further."

"Who is Eleazar," Bella asked Alice after turning to look at her.

"Oh," Alice said. "Did we never tell you about our cousins?"

At Bella's look of confusion, Alice continued, "They live up in Alaska; the only other vegetarian coven in the world. Eleazar was in the Volturi around the same time as Carlisle."

"He helped us in recruiting new members," Athenodora said. "His gift picked out the best potential gifts and helped strengthen our coven. Three other members of his coven are nearly as old as we are and we have invited them as well to see what knowledge they have of the Curséd."

"Um," Alice interrupted. "Considering their… proclivities… wouldn't it be best to keep them away from Bella? She is a newborn after all."

"Proclivities?" Bella muttered to herself.

"They are succubi," Supicia practically sighed in annoyance. "And they are very open about it. We'll have to keep a guard around Bella at all times just to be safe."

"What like are they gonna r—"

"No, no, they aren't like that," Alice interrupted. "They are just very forward. And newborns have a hard time controlling their hormones. You'll just have to be careful to make sure you don't get too caught up in them. It's entirely too easy."

Bella raised an eyebrow at Alice who just mouthed at her "Later".

"Yes," said Sulpicia. "But regardless the Denali's are on their way and we need to deal with a dungeon full of Cullens."

"Well," Bella sighed tiredly. "Let's get started."


	11. Chapter 11

Bella didn't know what to do. She knew she needed to do something. But she was lost. She was entirely new to this whole vampire thing so it wasn't like she could just leave the castle. They still weren't sure what her control around humans was like, though Jane admitted she'd seen an immense amount of control from the newborn. Bella wasn't even sure that humans made her thirsty. The entire feeding experience had become somewhat of a blur until after she bit Alice.

So now she was stuck wondering the castle trying to figure out how to make herself useful while the Queens were deliberating on the Denali's arrival. Apparently the Denalis made the Volturi nervous, at least according to Alice. She said that the Denali's had been one of the few covens to survive an assault from the Volturi which made them dangerous neutral ground. On one hand, Alice knew that Tanya, their leader, would never initiate an attack on the ruling coven because they had already lost significant members to the Volturi's brutality. But on the other was the fact that they HAD lost significant members. They wanted revenge or reparations. The Volturi had exterminated their coven members in cold blood to keep down numbers. They'd done nothing wrong. They followed every rule. They stayed hidden from humans, they refrained from having more than a few newborns in their ranks at one time, they even adopted former-Volturi members as a show of goodwill. One mistake ruined that and the Volturi showed no mercy.

The Queens didn't even know if more than Eleazar would be coming to the castle but they needed to be prepared on the off-chance that the Denalis' leader and her sisters came as well. Not older than the queens themselves, they held their own unique set of abilities and were older than a significant amount of the members of the Volturi and age was strength.

The Volturi Queens were not scared of the Denalis but they knew that should there be a problem, the Cullens would side with the Denalis and they would need to eliminate them all. Sulpicia didn't want to rid the world of so many gifted vampires at once. She'd been trying to get Alice to join their coven since she found out about her gift.

Bella wandered through the halls of the castle. She still marveled at the way everything seemed so different. She trailed her fingers along the worn brick. It was soft like time had held each brick in its hands and worried them with its thumb until they were smooth. She wondered if time would do the same to her and she wondered if that was a good thing or not.

Now that she had all the time in the world, she didn't know what to do with that time. As a human, there was always a rush to get as much done as possible before your time was taken away. It was like being on a treadmill that was going too fast, you couldn't look behind you and Time was the only one with access to the stop button. And whether you stopped running yourself or time hit the stop button, you always fell off into the unknown eventually so you kept running because you had no other option. Becoming a vampire was like realizing there were running boards on the side of the treadmill and you could have stopped at anytime if you'd only realized you needed to jump. She'd jumped but now she didn't know where to go. Off the treadmill there was a whole world to explore and no rush to get there.

Bella sighed. She wished she had someone to do explore it with though. The way everything was turning out, she had the sneaking suspicion that this castle would be all the world she got to see. Bricks worn by time and her to crumble with them.

She knew she shouldn't feel this trapped. She was the mate of the three most powerful women in the world. There had to be a way that they could fix things. There had to be a way she could still maintain some freedom. Bella didn't know how she was feeling about the women who her soul claimed were hers. Everything that they did so far was so mixed up. One minute she was convinced they would kill her for something none of them understood and the next she was gifted with this fantastic library? It left her head reeling. And what about Alice? Bella couldn't be reason Alice was trapped too. She had Jasper and a life to return too. Bella couldn't in good conscience make Alice stay with her just to be her feeding bag. After all of this maybe she really should have just let herself die to save everyone the trouble.

Bella shook her head. There was no use going through those thoughts again. This was the grave she dug now she needed to set up shop. Bella's wandering eventually lead her down a dead end. Nothing there but a brick wall. She stared at it wondering why they'd make a hall just for it to end when she noticed a line of light leaking out from the bottom of the bricks the way light shines under a closed door. She cocked her head to the side and brought her hand up to the wall feeling along its cracks and crevices. Not finding any sort of latch or knob, she gave the wall a gentle push and felt the bricks give slightly under her fingers. She paused wondering if she was going to get in trouble for whatever she found behind the wall. Deciding that as mate of the Queens of vampires she was allowed some leeway and pushed more fully against the door eventually using her shoulder and then her whole body to push it aside.

It groaned with each inch Bella moved it. Dust and pebbles fell from the ceiling and into Bella's eyes but she didn't stop to wipe it off until the door was out of the way. The light blazed brilliantly from the sky and Bella breathed in the fresh air. She didn't realize she needed this until the clean air purified her useless lungs. She could smell the town behind her; the market and the people and even some of the stray dogs and cats but mostly she smelled the grass and the trees and what she was sure was the ocean air not more than thirty miles in the distance. She always wanted to live by the ocean. Not the kind of ocean like in Forks but the kind where there was a beach and it was warm and sunny. There was something so mysterious about the stretching of the sea into the distance. It made her lonely, but not in a bad way.

The glaring of the sun gave her a panicked reminder of the curse she now possessed and she looked to her skin to find it now glowing. It wasn't like the sparkle she saw from Edward that day in the meadow but it was more like someone had crack her open and shook her like a glow stick. It was a light was radiating from inside of her skin. She briefly chuckled when she thought that maybe she was a lightning bug, maybe her butt light up too.

Bella turned around to look at the castle. It soared toward the sky and nearly reached the clouds. Its bricks seemed more yellow out here than the grey they looked inside and they were more ragged than the ones inside. She didn't completely understand how that worked. The wall surrounding the castle stretched from its sides in both directions creating a fortitude of sorts that could only be penetrated by the gates on the other side, and now apparently Bella's secret door.

She stood before a field now, a vineyard. The castle was up on the side of a hill and about halfway down the hill the trees began and stretched off for miles. She could see people working in the distance, they were pulling things from the rows of vines not too far from where Bella was standing. She caught their scent in the wind but felt nothing of its presence. She smelled earthy much like the vines themselves did but she also smelled something sweeter, possibly the grapes. She saw a dog and a child chasing each other through one of the rows and smiled as the girl tripped and dog tackled her, licking her face in careless excitement.

Bella turned back to the castle. She took a step away from it and scowled slightly at the door. Making a split second decision, she pushed the door closed and turned to the vineyard taking off into the vines. She hoped that they were thick enough to cover her movements. She didn't blind like a diamond so she was sure she could remain relatively undetected as long as she didn't fly right by someone.

The feeling of just running had never been an overly pleasing one to human Bella. She loathed any form of physical exertion because she didn't have the coordination to keep herself alive during it. But now. This feeling. It was like she'd never been more free. There was no physical limit to her ability. She could fly off into the air if she wanted and become a bird. As a little girl she always wanted to fly with the birds. She thought they must be so happy up there away from the world. They must feel lucky to look down on the world and be able to escape its suffering whenever they wanted. Of course, as a kid she didn't think like that but she wanted to fly with the birds nonetheless.

Bella ran until she couldn't any more. Couldn't meaning that she had reached the sea. If she was remembering her geography class correctly that meant she was on the Tyrrhenian Sea. If she wanted to she could swim out to the islands and be in France in no time but she didn't want to ruin the clothes that she was given by Sulpicia. She'd already ruined one set.

Bella took in her surroundings with a slow glance turning in a circle. It was about three in the afternoon and her skin was glowing brightly in the sun, any human would just think that she was extremely pale and that's why her skin shown the way it did.

She was on a small beach, nearly deserted of humans. There was a couple near the cliff facing to her right as she faced the ocean and a single fisherman sitting out on some rocks in the open water. He was wearing those rubber waders that look like even uglier overalls and a sun hat. His tackle box sat on the rock beside him as he leaned back in the sun. Bella wasn't sure how good the fishing could be around here but it reminded her of Charlie.

His sudden presence in her mind nearly knocked her over with its force as if a spirit had just tried to run through her. Her eyes stung with sadness realizing how much she missed her dad. She knew he must be worried sick about her. He probably thought she was dead, that she killed herself. It was the only logical explanation as to why she disappeared after being a zombie for more than three months. The more she thought about it, the more guilty she felt for what she put Charlie through. He had done nothing but try and help her since the minute Edward left her on that forrest floor and she didn't even try to get better for him. He never deserved that kind of daughter. He deserved someone much better than Bella was.

Bella moved across the sand, kicking off her shoes as she went. When she sat down she pulled off her socks and buried her toes in the sand trying to feel the coolness of the ground. She couldn't feel it anymore. She frowned. Regrets flooded through her mind as she watched the waves kiss the sand, a never ending game that neither would win. She thought of her mother too. Her mother who she'd had to take care of before she even became an adult. The mother who was her best friend. The mother who didn't quite know how to be a mother but still tried her best when the time came.

She sat like that for hours. Her toes buried in the sand and her arms resting across her knees while her chin rested across those. She barely moved an inch and didn't even realize how unnerving that could have been for the humans nearby if they'd taken notice. But fortunately they didn't. The lovers remained wrapped up in each other's embrace, basking in the warm sunlight. Bella could hear their whispers from across the beach and it made her heart ache listening to the love they held for each other.

The fisherman barely moved either. Occasionally he would remove his hat and wipe at his brow or he would scratch his bearded chin but otherwise he remained focused. He caught several fish that Bella noticed. None of them too big but enough to feed a small family. After he'd caught four or five he climbed across the rocks back to the beach and took a footpath up the side of the cliff. Bella assumed there was a village nearby on the other side of the rocks. She could hear cars occasionally and there was some sounds of dogs barking in the distance.

The sun set slowly that afternoon and Bella remained. Her skin lost its glow and the beach became deserted. The waves became near still as the night air settled over the waters and she watched the sun set in the distance. It was peaceful. Bella wasn't sure she would get this much peace again in a long time.

The sun was just dipping below the horizon when she heard footsteps approaching behind her. The familiar scent of Athenodora washed over her and she felt her shoulders relax but she did not turn around. Athenodora didn't say anything but settled down next to Bella leaving several inches between them. Bella gave her a side glance and noticed how pedestrian she looked. She was wearing jeans and a loose fighting elegant tank top which was rhinestoned across the neckline. It was a light blue which matched the slowly darkening sky behind her. She looked every bit her twenty-one years in that outfit. No one would ever think that she was actually a queen or multiple thousands of years old.

Athenodora caught her looking and smiled gently at her. She still said nothing and Bella turned back to the ocean. "I'm sorry I ran off." Bella said quietly.

Athenodora hummed softly in response. Her eyes turned to the ocean again and watched the waves crash against the shore. There were seagulls further down the beach braying the way only seagulls can. It was picturesque is such a cliche way that Bella nearly snorted when she realized. "I've never been to America," Athenodora said. Bella looked at her, eyes widening. It wasn't the response she was expecting. Athenodora chuckled at her deer-like face. "I've never held the desire to, but I have heard that it is a very large place. So much so that it takes hours to cross just one state, sometimes a whole day. And the trip from here to there is days as well."

She did not turn to Bella but moved and placed her hand on Bella's knee. "It is your birth place yes?" Bella nodded. Athenodora looked to her to continue.

"I grew up sort of all over," Bella said. "My mom and I ended up living in Phoenix for a while and then she married and I ended moving to Washington but me and Renee traveled a lot. She was never one to sit still. Always said if you're not moving, you're not living. It was nice most of the time."

"Most?"

"Yeah," Bella said. "Well Renee didn't have the greatest maternal instinct. I don't think she realized that I took care of her more often than she took care of me. I love my mom but she wasn't much of a mom."

Athenodora hummed again and Bella's heart ached. She wanted nothing more than to return home and tell her parents she was okay. To see them and tell them that even if she was gone, she always loved them and wanted them to live their lives. It wasn't fair that Edward had robbed her of those moments. It wasn't fair that Edward had robbed her of her parents. But she couldn't feel it in herself to be angry. She only felt sad.

Bella brought head back down to her knees which now felt vacant after Athenodora had removed her hand. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths of the sea water trying to think of anything but the gap in her life. She heard a shuffle and felt slim, strong arms pull her against them. She was now leaning heavily against Athenodora's shoulder. Athenodora reached out and tapped on Bella's head indicating where she should lay it, so Bella dropped it to the inviting embrace.

They remained in silence. Bella's breathing the only human noise in the area.

"You can go," Athenodora said. "Despite what it may seem, we do not control you. If you would like to return to America, that is wholly your decision."

Bella nearly slammed her head into Athenodora's when she sat up in shock. Her mouth opening and closing as if she were one of those singing bass hung to a wall. "But w-"

"We would miss you of course," Athenodora said. "But we would accept your decision. Your present condition may be of some concern but your happiness is more important to us. I know that might be hard to grasp considering how we've treated you though. We'd never actually hunt you down. We would maybe like to know where you go though."

Bella scrunched her eyebrows and stared at her feet. Her toes were covered in the dust that only sand causes and they felt grainy as she moved them. "Go home?" Bella said out loud. "I-" she didn't know what to say.

"Go,"Athenodora said. "I can see in your eyes that is what you truly want."

Athenodora's eyes were sad. Bella could see that she wanted Bella to deny the offer, admit some sort of affection, and never leave but she could also see that Athenodora was honest in her offer. Her eyes were gentle and soft. The deep red shimmered in the remaining bleed of sunlight. Bella couldn't stop herself before she leaned in and placed her lips across Athenodora's.

A shiver went through Bella's spine at the contact and she could feel the tension build in Athenodora who wanted nothing more than to pull the woman closer. Bella pulled away not wanting to tempt her too harshly. "Thank you," Bella said.

Athenodora took a moment to reach behind her and pull something out of her back pocket. Bella caught a flash of silver before Athenodora held it out in her hand. It was a credit card. Bella opened her mouth to object but Athenodora held up her hand.

"I know," she said. "But this isn't charity and I know how expensive plane tickets are. That's all I wish you to use it on. You are free to use it as often as you like but I will not make you. This is just my one condition. Please let me buy your ticket home?"

Bella grumbled and scowled. She didn't want to take it but she had to admit the idea of being free to go home was more than she could deny. Sighing she took the offered card. "Fine… But I'm flying coach."

Athenodora smiled at her before letting a full laugh out then returning to a gentle smile. "You truly are a blessing to my life Bella."

Bella, again, was at a loss for words. How could these women leave her so speechless again and again.

"Do you want a ride to the airport? Or would you rather walk?"

Bella thought for a moment and said, "Walk," knowing that it wasn't more than a ten minute run. Athenodora stood then and held out her hand to pull Bella up and into a strong hug.

"I will miss you, Bella." she said. She turned to leave. But Bella called her attention.

"Wait! How did you know this would happen? What will you say to the others?"

"I did not know. I merely guessed… and as for the others, they do not need to know what isn't their business. I will simply tell them you went home."

"But…"

"Sulpicia will not be angry. And Didyme will understand."

Bella sighed and looked at the credit card in her hand. Platinum. She was afraid to even ask what the limit on this thing was.

"Will you…" Bella trailed off.

Athenodora waited patiently.

"Will you tell them I'm not leaving because of them?" Bella said looking Athenodora in the eyes and trying to convey as much sincerity as she could. "I'm not abandoning you all… I just…"

"You need time."

"Yeah."

"We understand Bella,"she said. She stepped closer to Bella and brushed her hand through Bella's hair. "We understand more than you realize." Her gaze was stern but comforting.

Bella didn't know what else to say so she stepped forward and hugged Athenodora to her. The other woman was momentarily shocked but quickly returned the hug with a tight grip. When they pulled back from each other, they each smiled.

"Don't stay away for too long." Athenodora's eyes gleamed mischievously. "I don't think America could handle my presence."

Bella smiled again. She wasn't sure what to do now but after a small nod from Athenodora, she took off in the direction she knew the airport would be.

Athenodora took her time returning to the castle. It was a gorgeous night and the stars twinkled playfully in the navy sky. She was half tempted to lay back in the grass and watch them but she knew the others would be expecting her back soon. It had been many centuries since she had last visited the stars.

Once she'd made it to the castle, she made her way to the war room, hoping to avoid any inquiring minds. She knew Didyme and Sulpicia would be there and she knew they would be worried. She nearly doubled back to her chambers rather than initiating the encounter but she decided having Sulpicia break her bedroom door again was less preferable.

She was bombarded with questions the minute she entered the room. Each was more urgent than the last and neither stopped until she sat silently on her chair. Didyme was standing to the left of Sulpicia. She was bouncing on the balls of her feet with her hands clasped before her. The action made her look younger than the 19 years her body was. Sulpicia on the other hand had her arms crossed across her chest and was glaring so hard at Athenodora, she was afraid Sulpicia's eyes might melt.

"So?" Sulpicia pressed.

"She left."

"She left?" Sulpicia nearly yelled it. Her face contorted into a mask of angry confusion. "What do you mean she left? She can't just leave."

"Of course she can," Athenodora said. "She's not our property and it is fairly obvious she has no need to feed from humans and safe to be out among them. I see no reason why she should not be allowed her freedom."

"You can't make that decision without us," Didyme said. She looked disappointed. Her shoulders drooped out of their normally pristine posture and she was worrying her lip with her teeth. Athenodora smiled sadly.

"You didn't see her," she said. "We would never have been able to keep her here if we never gave her the option to leave. She missed her family."

"We're supposed to be her family," Sulpicia said. The disappointment was creeping into her own posture now as well. "We… well I guess we never made that clear to her did we?"

"No," Athenodora agreed. "But I think this is progress."

"What are we supposed to do about the Denalis?" Didyme asked. "Eleazar is on his way for the explicit purpose of viewing Bella. And what of the Cullens? Doesn't Bella need Alice to feed?"

"From what I recall of the Cursed, they hardly need to feed except on occasion. She has her newborn blood to sustain her for now," Sulpicia admitted. She hated to allow this to happen. She hated that Athenodora had probably made the right decision. "We will deal with Cullens when she returns and Eleazar will remain here as well. Some time spent locked away may be good for them."

"Do we return Alice to her cell?"

Sulpicia shook her head and pursed her lips slightly in thought. "Why don't we send her on some mundane missions with Jane. See if we can't convince her yet to stay."

Athenodora chuckled knowing full well that there was hardly anything that could keep Alice here after her own family left. The castle was going to be very full should the other Denali members accompany Eleazar. There has never been that many vegetarians under their roof at one time. It was bound to be very interesting.

Each queen settled into their own little space after that conversation. Lost in thought, they sat trance-like in their seats until Athenodora was reminded of something from her conversation. "I think we should let Bella have this space."

"Why is that?" Didyme asked.

"Because I think she is beginning to feel the mate bond."

Sulpicia raised an eyebrow at Athenodora who rose from her seat and place her hand on Sulpicia's open palm. Athenodora had long ago learned to control which parts of her memory Sulpicia could see and this time she made sure that Sulpicia saw the entire conversation; the kiss and the request especially.

Sulpicia smiled as Athenodora pulled away. "She kissed you." Athenodora smiled.

Didyme laughed on the other side of the room. "Well that happened much quicker than any of us expected."

"She also wanted me to tell you that she wasn't leaving because of us," Athenodora said.

"That's very sweet of her," Didyme said. "But I'm not sure I understand how it isn't. We are the ones who discovered what she is and she found out she was mates with all three of us. That would be enough for anyone to want space."

"It seemed she was more afraid that her freedom would be forfeit," Athenodora said. "I think that Edward brat tried to take that from her too and the thought of losing it again was more than she could bear. She needed the space to see we weren't her keepers."

A knock sounded on the door to the war room and opened slowly to reveal Alice on the other side. Her eyes were knowing and sad as she entered the room. "So this is really how it is? You're going to hold me prisoner here so you can prove that Bella isn't a prisoner? How is that fair?"

"My dear," Sulpicia said cocking her head to the side. "It isn't about fair. You are needed here for the trial of your family. Regardless of your importance and relationship to Bella, you must remain because you have broken some of the most severe laws of our world. You have been granted leniency thus far but time wears thin and patience runs out. You are already granted more privilege than the rest of your family. I suggest you do not make us regret that decision."

"Sulpicia," Didyme said in warning. "What she means to say, Alice, is that while keeping you here would be in best interest of Bella we also need to prepare for your trial. We need you around the castle to do that and we will need your help with the Denali clan when they arrive. You are not a prisoner here. But your presence is required for the time being."

"And you will be able to tell us when Bella is coming back?" Athenodora asked.

Alice shook her head. "The minute Athenodora decided to tell Bella she could leave, I lost all vision of her. She's a different species and my mind cannot keep track of her. Plus if she is back in Forks, then the shifters are probably blocking my sight too."

"Well then," Sulpica said. "We have some deliberating to do. If you could excuse us?"

Alice nodded and left through the large door and headed toward the dungeons to visit Jasper. The minute she entered the dungeons though she was nearly deafened by Edward screaming.

"You let her leave?" Edward yelled. His voice roared and echoed through the dungeon as he raved. Alice could tell that Jasper was trying his hardest to calm the raging vampire but to no avail.

"Edward!" a voice yelled. It was Rosalie. She stood in all her pissed off glory, glaring through the bars of her prison cell. "Will you shut the fuck up?"

Edward was so dumbstruck by the sudden exclamation that his mouth fell agape and he just stood there. Alice smiled behind her hand, trying not to outwardly laugh at her brother.

"So I see you've all heard," Alice giggled. "Yes, Bella has temporarily left the continent. She went back to Forks. I can't see anything more than that." Alice scowled as she said that. She hated that her visions were so limited. She shook her head trying to stay in the moment. "In the mean time," she said. "Jasper, Carlisle, what do you know about the Cursed?"


	12. Chapter 12

Bella stood in the bushes outside her father's home. It was well past midnight and she could here him snoring on the upper floor of their house. The house looked nearly the same as when she left. The grass stood a little taller and she could see everything is high definition but other than that, even the peeling paint had remained the same.

She stood conflicted at the edge of the yards clearing. She couldn't decide whether she should reveal herself or not to Charlie. He would be thrilled that she was alive. He would be so happy and so, so mad that she hadn't come home sooner or at least called. He would probably try to ground her. The thought made her giggle a little.

But also knew that it would probably terribly selfish and cruel of her to tell him she was alive just to make herself feel better. She was going to have to leave again. She was going to have to go halfway cross the world again and quite possibly never see him again depending on Sulpicia's final attitude about her existence. She was positive now that Didyme and Athenodora were on her side but Sulpicia...

Well Sulpicia scared her. She couldn't get a read off the other woman. She was cold and aloof and even though she had expressed some level of affection for Bella, she had also inadvertently threatened to kill her. She apologized for it but the words would still ring through her head each time she saw Sulpicia's steely, red glare.

She came here with every intent to reveal herself to Charlie but the more she thought on the issue and the more she thought about her three mates, the more she doubted the soundness of that decision. Maybe it would be better to let him live in peace. But would he feel peaceful never having known what happened to her. Could she fake her death somehow? She wasn't even sure how she would do that. A wild animal attack would seem the most reasonable or maybe she could make it look like suicide? Suicide would seem likely for how catatonic she was before she vanished.

Bella began to hear the sound of feet hitting the ground behind her. It sounded like several large animals and they were moving fast. Bella grew wide-eyed as she heard them approaching her and she crouched down into a defensive stance as they burst through the trees around her.

They were wolves. Sort of. They were wolves the size of grizzly bears. Completely ginormous complete with the gnashing teeth and sharp claws to match. Each wolf was a few brown shades lighter or darker than the next. The only exception was a smaller grey wolf and a larger black wolf. Bella suspected that the larger was the leader of the pack. He seemed to be guiding them closer in around her. Each step they took, she felt a growling increase in intensity in her chest.

And suddenly they stopped moving. One of the wolves, a lighter brown one whose fur briefly reminded her of the rust on her truck, left the circle and headed back into the trees. She let out a suspicious snarl at the change of events and the wolves took a couple steps back, except for one darker one who growled back and took another step forward.

Bella tried to keep her attention on this one but a rustling in the trees caught her attention and she turned to the direction that the russet wolf had left. Through the undergrowth emerged Jacob. His hair was shaved short and he was wearing only a pair of cargo shorts, no shoes or shirt.

"Bella?" he said quietly. He approached her cautiously even as she snarled slightly at his advancement. She looked confused at him as recognition crossed her eyes.

"J-Jacob?" she nearly cried in relief but glared suspiciously at the other wolves around her. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask the same of you," he said looking her over suspiciously. "You're one of them now."

"Sort of," Bella said. "Not really." Jacob raised an eyebrow at her. "It's a long story. You're the one that didn't tell me you turned into a goddamn werewolf."

The large black wolf in the circle left into the bushes the same as Jacob had and returned moments later. It was Sam Uley.

"Bella," he said sternly. "Was it the Cullens who turned you?"

She considered his question carefully. She didn't know what the importance of that was but she felt if she gave the wrong answer it could lead to a lot of trouble for the coven. "That's actually a part of that long story."

"We have time," Sam said. His eyes left no room for question.

"Can we at least go somewhere else?" Bella said softly. "I don't want Charlie to..."

Sam glanced toward the house behind her. It looked as though he was listening for something. Whatever he heard made him nod his head. "Follow us."

Both Jacob and Sam left back into the bushes and emerged a moment later shifted once again into their wolves. The pack of eight or so wolves began to run toward the reservation. After five or so minutes they reached the edge of the woods that opened onto the reservation. Bella could see houses in the distance and to her left was a gathering area complete with picnic tables, logs for seats, and a fire pit.

Sam, still in wolf form, pointed her towards the circle and she obeyed walking at a human speed and took a seat on one of the logs further from the edge of the trees. She watched as the shifters emerged from the trees now in their human forms. She was surprised to see how many of them she recognized and even more surprised to see how young some of them were.

They gathered around the circle as well, most staying well away from Bella. The exception being Jacob who sat down next to her. It was at this moment she realized he smelled different. He didn't smell the way humans did. It was different. Muskier, like he'd been rolling in mud with a dog. It was a strong scent but not one that was all together unpleasant. It held an earthiness that reminded Bella of the times she too had spent in the forests surrounding Forks.

"Sam is calling the elders," Jacob said. "We can't make a decision without them so they may as well hear your story too."

Bella just nodded and then dropped her head into her hands, closing her eyes. She took a deep breath and listened to the air around her. She could hear the fast, steady heartbeat of every shifter around her and the animals nearby in the forest.

She lifted her head and examined the tribe members around her. Faces she recognized were staring at her intently, some out of curiosity like Seth, Leah, Embry, and Quil; others more menacingly like Paul. There a few other faces she didn't know but assumed they couldn't be more than thirteen or fourteen years old.

"So what exactly are you?" Bella finally asked. Jacob laughed. "What?"

"You're a vampire and you seem so shocked that shifters exist?" He was grinning at her in a way that wrinkled his nose and eyes. Bella felt the tension in the air dissipate as he joked at her expense.

"Not a vampire," she corrected. "And I don't know. You always said those legends were just legends. How was I supposed to know?"

"Oh come on Bella, you're smarter than that," Jacob said giving her shoulder a nudge. She was surprised when she felt there was actual strength behind the push.

"So you guys are actually shifters like from the legends?"

Jacob nodded. He didn't exactly seemed thrilled about it but he was resigned.

"Does that make you a furry?" Bella joked. She heard Leah try to hide a snicker under a cough across the circle and she turned and grinned at her.

"I'm sure the cons would love us," Jacob said. "But I would still much rather date a human."

Bella laughed in response. "Like you could get a date with a human." At this the other shifters let out a full blown laugh at Jacob's expense. The laughter died down and a serious air returned to the group as Sam returned from the woods with his cell phone in hand.

"The elders will be here soon," he said and sat down at the edge of the circle where he could watch Bella. She watched him for several seconds before she turned her attention back to Jacob.

"Have you seen much of Charlie lately?" Bella asked quietly. She turned her eyes to the ground and stared at the dust beneath her feet.

"Yeah," Jacob said. "He's been spending a lot of time with dad when he isn't out looking for you."

Bella nodded her head. "Is he...Is he okay?"

"For someone who thinks his daughter is dead?" Jacob asked. Anger slipped into his voice. "Yeah, he's okay."

Bella dropped her head lower thankful she couldn't cry the way she wanted to. Of everything she regretted up to this point, leaving Charlie was what she hated the most. She didn't know what else to say. She knew Jacob was angry for how she abandoned Charlie. Hell, she was angry for how she abandoned Charlie. But suicide wasn't always rational. She wasn't in a good place. She legitimately thought that the best thing she could do for everyone, including herself, was to die. She had no excuse but that and she knew it would never be enough.

After several minutes of silence, Bella spotted a jeep driving down the gravel road. It was old like most of the cars on the reservation and in Forks. She could hear three heart beats over the sporadic roar of the engine and she assumed it was the elders.

Two men she didn't know got out of the driver's side of the car. Both were aged and wrinkled with long graying braids flowing down their backs. One of the two men, the one with a brown vest on, went to the back of the jeep and pulled out a wheelchair before going to the passenger's side and helping down who she assumed would be Billy Black.

He came around the corner of the car and stopped for a moment when he spotted Bella before he rolled over to her and parked beside her. He looked her up and down, his eyes lingering on her green eyes, before he nodded and rolled to the side of the fire pit where Sam sat. Two of the younger shifters were lighting a bonfire as the elders got settled and eventually everyone was in place.

Sam gave Bella a look and she nodded her head. They all knew why they were here, there was no use beating around the bush.

"Well what do you want to know first?" Bella said directed at the Elders.

"What are you? And are you a danger to humans?"

"Me saying I'm not dangerous wouldn't convince you of a damn thing," Bella said. She winced slightly when she felt Jacob elbow her in the side. "I'm one of the Cursed. Long story short, I'm a vampire that drinks vampire blood. Or, I guess, venom. I don't really know what to call it but I don't drink human or animal. I tried. Threw up everywhere. Was really unpleasant."

"How is that possible," the elder closest to her asked. There was suspicion in his eyes that was mirrored by every other Quileute there. He had been the one to help Billy down from the Jeep. "We have never heard of such creatures."

"Well apparently, neither have ninety percent of vampires," Bella said. "The were supposedly all killed off almost five thousand years ago."

"Then how did you come to be?"

Bella just shrugged her shoulders. She knew she wasn't going to get out of this without giving them some sort of backstory so she might as well just tell them all.

"So in ancient Greece, there was this demi-god who got on Zeus and Hades' bad sides so they split his soul into two. One half became human; the other was the first vampire. The vampire managed to turn a bunch of people on accident before he attacked his human half and changed him. The consequence was that the human half turned into one of the cursed and drained the vampire right then and there. But before the cursed was turned, he had children and his blood was passed on. One of the vampires changlings tried to kill all of those children to keep from being exposed and wiped out but he apparently missed one, so here I am."

The shifters all gave her a look of confusion as she sucked in a deep breath after talking so fast. She rolled her eyes realizing she probably talked too fast. "Look," Bella said. "I decided from a dude who fucked up and got cursed by a god. Is that simple enough?"

The elders watched her pensively but finally Billy Black spoke up. "What happened when you left?"

Bella took a deep breath and kicked the sand under feet before she looked up into Billy's eyes. They were dark, deep brown and showed a concern she hadn't completely anticipated. "I left to kill myself."

She heard several people gasp softly and almost wanted to snicker at them for being shocked but she knew this was too serious to make a joke of. She told them the rest of her story up until she was preparing to go to her room and tripped.

"I was bleeding. Edward attacked me," Bella said. "He hadn't fed in months and I was his singer, he couldn't have controlled himself even if he tried. Alice says that after they pulled him off, I'd lost too much blood so it was either die or be changed."

Bella took a second to garner the reactions around her. Some looked sad, others angry. Billy had a look of curiosity on his face which she didn't quite understand.

"I might have gone there to die but it's not what I really wanted so they changed me," Bella finished. She left off the part where Alice was who bit her, hoping they wouldn't ask.

"And where are the Cullens now?" Billy asked.

"In Italy, in a jail cell I"m sure. The only one I've really spoken to since I woke was Alice," Bella said. "She is the one I've been feeding from." Bella met a few disgusted looks as she said that but shrugged her shoulders at them. There was nothing she could really do about it.

"In a jail cell?"

"They broke the cardinal rule of the vampire world," Bella explained. "Never tell a human about the existence of vampires without changing or killing them. They left me alive. Sulpicia hasn't decided what to do to them yet."

"Sulpicia?"

"One of the queens," Bella said. Then added, "And kind of my mate?"

This was met with silence as the other absorbed what she said. She was mated to the most powerful vampires in the world, it had to make her a threat to them.

Sam broke the silence after about half a minute and asked the question Bella had been dreading. "Who changed you?"

Bella bit her lip and shook her head. "Alice..." She said it quietly as if ashamed.

"They've broken the treaty," someone to the side of her yelled out. She turned to see Paul shaking as he glared at her. "We have to kill them."

Sam rose and marched over to Paul where he grabbed by the back of his neck and forced him to look him in the eye. Whatever Paul saw there caused him to calm down and sit though he let out several grumbles about "stupid vampires".

"They may never even be back," Bella tried to reason. She wasn't sure what treaty they were talking about but she remembered something mentioned by Jacob once about a treaty that banned the Cullens from enter the reservation. "The Queens may kill them. Or at least Edward since he was the one that caused the necessity to change me."

"Bella," Jacob said. He at least tried to look apologetic. "If they came back, we would have to kill them all. No exceptions. Biting a human is like the most taboo thing they could have done."

Bella suddenly felt desperate to defend the coven that left her. "You can't kill Alice," she said. She was ready to beg if need be. "She didn't have a choice and if you kill her your effectively killing me."

More confused looks forced her to continue. "The 'curse' of being one of the Cursed is that I can only feed from my maker," she said. "If Alice dies then I starve to death."

The elders all frowned as she spoke. Billy gave a pointed look at Jacob who nodded then turned to Bella. He grabbed her hand and they started walking in the direction of the forest again. They moved at a human pace and Bella watched as she could see the beginnings of sunrise coming up over the horizon.

"We have to get you out of the sunlight," Jacob said as he tugged her along.

"Actually," Bella said. "I don't sparkle. Just glow a little, kinda like I put on suntan oil or something."

Jacob scrunched his eyebrows at her then laughed. "Well, the elders want to talk about you without you there so we needed to leave anyways."

"Yeah I figured," Bella said. "I know I have no say in what they do nor do they care for a nonhuman but I hope they don't decide to kill the Cullens. It might be a century before they get to leave Italy anyway."

"You said one of the queens in Italy was your mate?" Jacob said. He looked a little sad but the curiosity mostly won out.

"Actually," Bella chuckled sardonically. "All three queens are but I figured one weird lesbian vampire was enough for the day. They didn't need to find out I'm supposed to be in a polyamorous quartuple too."

"I'd love to have seen the look on Quil Sr.'s face," Jacob laughed. "Do they make you happy?"

Bella thought before she answered. "I don't know yet," she said honestly. "It's been a whirlwind since I woke up and after finding out I was one of the Cursed, it left them in a bind. I could be a danger to the vampire world. It's made the last few days since I woke very tense. Didyme has been great. Athenodora too. She's the reason I'm here. But Sulpicia... Well Sulpicia confuses the fuck out of me. And she's terrifying in that like hot principal kind of way."

Jacob let out a laugh from his gut that scared several birds from the trees nearby. "Why are you so afraid of her?"

"I thought they were going to kill me," Bella said seriously remembering the way Sulpicia and Athenodora looked at her that day in the clearing with Jane. "I think they still might if we don't figure something out involving this curse."

Jacob frowned but didn't answer. "What are you going to do about Charlie?"

"I don't know," Bella sighed. "I can't exactly tell him what I am. And I'm going to leave again anyways. Would it be cruel to see him now?"

"Charlie has been seeing a lot of Sue Clearwater recently," Jacob said. The subject was out of nowhere to Bella who raised an eyebrow at him. "Henry Clearwater died remember? Last summer. It was because Leah shifted in front of him and it gave him a heart attack."

Bella frowned. "Poor Leah."

"Yeah..." Jacob said but then continued. "Anyway, Charlie has been getting real close with Sue. If they get married, he gets included on all the tribe secrets..."

"You're saying I would be able to tell him what I am?"

"If he marries Sue," Jacob said. "I think you should go see him. You're smart, you'll be able to figure out some kind of excuse for now. Besides you are mated to the queens aren't you?"

"Yeah, well, I've already explained how well that's been working out for me," Bella laughed a little, feeling lighter than she had in days.

"I guess I will go see Charlie," she said grinning at Jacob.

Jacob smiled back before a mischievous look cross his eyes and he yelled "Race ya!" before the sound of tearing clothes echoed through the wood and a giant wolf was sprinting off in front of Bella.


	13. Chapter 13

Bella watched the house from the safety of the treeline. Jacob had gone home as the sun started to rise. He still had school in the morning and had to get ready. Charlie rose with the sun. Bella could hear him fumbling around the house and caught faint scents of his breakfast. When he left the house, Bella was shocked to see how much he had aged in a mere two weeks. His hair was grayer and he had large, heavy bags under his eyes. Bella felt her heart drop with guilt in her chest as she realized looked near death because of her... because he was looking for her. Her resolve solidified at that moment, and she decided to tell him everything.

When he was finally out of sight and Bella could no longer here the rumble of the cruisers old engine, she snuck around the back of the house to the patio door. Charlie never left the door unlocked but she knew if she lifted it up off the rider and jiggled it enough, it would slide back easily. It was a tip her mother had given her when she'd first moved to Forks, hoping that Bella would use it to spend some time as a normal teenager. She never took advantage of it until now.

She stepped cautiously into the kitchen, breathing deeply the scent of her father. He smelled just how he did when she was human, only now Bella was smelling it with refined senses. Shave cream, gun powder, and moss. It was a strange combination of scents, but one that Bella could distinctly place as Charlie's.

In the kitchen, she noticed that dishes had begun to pile up in the sink and the garbage was overflowing with take out containers. She sniffed again cautiously and noticed that the house was starting to smell like garbage as well. There was a sinking feeling in her stomach that Charlie wasn't taking care of himself at all. She popped the door of the fridge open and glanced through its contents but didn't see more than a couple beers, a jug of milk, and some condiments. Bella reached in and pulled the jug of milk from the shelf and unscrewed the lid before she held it under her nose. The smell of rotting dairy filled her senses and she gagged before taking the jug straight to the trash can that Charlie kept outside the patio door on the back steps.

The man definitely wasn't taking care of himself. A trip through the rest of the house revealed more trash in the living room, a bathroom that hadn't been cleaned in over two weeks, and laundry that had been piling up since the day Bella left. The only room in the house that looked as she left it was her bedroom. She slid the door open slowly, almost afraid of what memories would be behind it. It felt like years since she had been in this room. Her human scent was present but faint. The most overwhelming scent was that of her father. She could see the outline of him on her bed where he had likely sat, thinking and wondering about Bella. Her heart broke thinking about it. How had she ever thought suicide would be the right answer? It's not like changing immediately cured her, but the sudden impending threat of death had made her realize just how much she didn't actually want to die. She didn't want to cease to exist forever, but at the time, she knew that she needed to not exist for a time. It had driven her to the Volturi because she couldn't handle the pain of loss that the Cullens leaving had done to her.

She saw the knife on her desk before she remembered what she'd done. The flashback left her a little dizzy but the image had been vivid and clear. That night before she'd made up her mind to go to the Volturi, Bella can remember how she held the knife against the tender skin of her throat. She had wanted to so bad. She'd pressed the blade along the skin hoping that it would catch, but her body had a mind of its own and she struggled to press the knife hard enough to even cause a nick.

She picked the blade up from her desk and ran it over her fingers. She could feel the dullness of it over her stone fingers and let out a hiss of breath as the emotions consumed her for a moment. Then she snapped the blade and tossed it into the trash before leaving the room and shutting the door.

Bella decided that she could be dead, undead, and still take care of her father. She spent the morning cleaning every inch of the house which she did at a human speed. It was therapeutic. It gave her time to think about what to tell her father and she felt she had a decent enough explanation for when he got home by the time she'd finished with the cleaning and moved on to the laundry.

While she waited for the washer and dry to buzz, Bella prepared a grocery list for her father. While jotting down several frozen dinners she knew her father liked, she picked up the phone and called Jacob, asking if he would be willing to stop by in a bit to help her with something. He agreed quickly, saying he would do anything to get out of health class that afternoon. He knew how a dick worked and he didn't need another lecture about fluids, as he put it.

Bella waited nearly half an hour before she finally heard the sound of large paws hitting the forest floor and she knew that Jacob had finally come. She slid the back door open and watched as Jacob, shirtless and without shoes, walked across her back yard and into the tiny kitchen.

"So what's up, Bella?" he asked. He nose creased as he narrowed his eyes slightly at her. "Have you been cleaning?"

Bella sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck and smiled at him. "Charlie hasn't exactly been taking care of the place, so I thought I'd help out."

Jacob just nodded his head. "What did you need?"

Bella handed him the grocery list that she'd made and pulled the silver credit card Athenodora had given her out of her back pocket. "Charlie hasn't really been eating lately, and I can't be seen in town."

"Sure Bells," Jacob said with a soft smile. She returned the smile, and sighed a small thank you. "When do you need it by?"

"The sooner the better," Bella said. "I want to make Charlie dinner but I don't have anything to make it with."

"Alright, I'll be back in an hour," Jacob said. Bella tossed him the keys to her truck which she'd left parked in front of the car when she left for Volterra. She'd known it wouldn't make it to Seattle for the flight so she'd taken a taxi and left the old Chevie in her dad's driveway.

"You can take this," she said. "The station is down the street from the Thriftway so you'll wanna take the back roads around so Charlie doesn't see the truck. Do you have shoes?"

"Forks has seen weirder things than a shirtless Rez kid walking around a grocery store without shoes, Bella," he said with a chuckle before he left out the front door. Bella heard the truck stutter to life followed by the crunch of gravel under its wheels, she hoped that Old Reliable would make it there and back before she remembered that it had only been two weeks since she last drove it, even if it felt like a life time ago.

Bella was folding laundry and watching an obscure daytime soap when Jacob returned caring ten bags in each arm. She moved to help him before she realized that he was just as strong as she was and he could handle it fine. Jacob immediately went about putting the groceries away while Bella started up dinner, hoping that Charlie would be home at his usual time that day. They chatted idly about how Jacob's friends were and how La Push was getting along.

"Oh hey," Jacob said and pulled the silver card out of his cargo short's pocket. "I'm guessing you'll want this back before I go on a joyride in your truck and buy up half of Seattle."

"You'd have to make it to Seattle first," Bella chuckled. "I don't think buying up half of one of the biggest cities in the country is what Athenodora meant when she said I could use it for anything."

"Athenodora... She's one of your other mates right?"

Bella nodded. "I sort of escaped from the castle the day I left and went to a beach nearby. I just needed some space and like, some time to breathe ya know? Well, she followed me. She must have seen how much I missed home, or maybe, that I just wasn't ready to be what they wanted yet, so she gave me that card and told me I could go home. I think she wanted me to know that I wasn't trapped there. That whole 'if you love something, set it free' thing."

"Seems like she's trying," Jacob said. He was leaning on the counter in the kitchen watching Bella cook. She could hear his stomach growling and she smirked to herself. She was making a simple casserole. Something Charlie could reheat for a couple days so he would actually eat real food and not just diner takeout for every meal. She wondered if he even ate breakfast anymore or if he was slowly mutilating his empty stomach with black coffee.

Bella slid the casserole into the oven after tossing Charlie's favorite part, the crunchy onions, on top. She and Jacob went to the living room to talk after. "So have you heard anything from the counsel?"

"When I left the school, they were still deliberating," Jacob said. "Embry is there as his wolf so that he can keep us all updated."

"What is taking so long?" Bella sighed and she collapsed onto the couch. Jacob almost forgot that she was a vampire whenever she did something ungraceful like that. She still seemed so normal when he could get past the stench and lack of heart beat.

"It seems their hang up is on the Cullens," Jacob said. "They bit you and that goes against the treaty."

"But Alice bit me to save my life," Bella growled. "And I didn't even turn into a vampire."

"Yeah," Jacob said. "But they didn't know that would happen. They also don't really have proof you're not a vampire, except, ya know, the weird eyes, and the fact that you haven't drained the entire rez yet."

"Good control," Bella chuckled. She sighed again. "It's just not fair. I told Alice to change me. It was my choice. The pack doesn't get to decide that for me. The Cullen's didn't get to decide that either. I made that decision and I didn't want to die."

"I'm glad you didn't," Jacob said. His eyes leveled with Bella's and she could see that he was being sincere which felt strange coming from the shifter who was technically supposed to hunt her kind. "I didn't think I'd be okay with it. But when the alternative is death..."

"Thank you," Bella said as she flew across the room to squeeze Jacob in a tight hug. She'd forgotten how much she missed him, how much she had truly, truly missed him. He was her best friend and her brother. He held her back just as tightly but when he finally let out a wheeze of air, Bella remembered her newborn strength and pulled back, grinning at him. Jacob pushed her back onto the couch and laughed.

The sound of a truck pulling into the driveway attracted the attention of both the shifter and the vampire in the room. Bella made eye contact with Jacob and shifted her eyes toward the patio door. He was gone in seconds. Bella moved to the kitchen and quickly pulled the casserole out of the oven and a beer out of the fridge and placed them on the table along with a plate and silverware before returning to the living room. She zipped between the kitchen and living room four times before finally deciding she would just wait it out in the living room. He would notice eventually. A whole meal sitting on the table was going to be obvious enough.

She held her breath as she waited. She immediately felt silly that it wouldn't help anyways but she couldn't stop the human habit when she was in an anxious situation. Charlie was slow up the steps and he grunted softly as he lifted himself up them. Bella frowned. He must be very tired to have that much trouble. When he opened the door, Bella hid herself in the shadows until she was sure he had his gun belt off and the weapon unloaded and then watched as he sniffed the air, smelling the food in the kitchen.

He followed the scent through the living room into the open kitchen where he saw the casserole sitting on the table and his eyes grew wide. He approached the table cautiously and inspected the food without touching it, circling the table. As he reached the opposite side, Bella moved away from the wall and walked into the light that barely touched the living room.

"Dad," she called quietly. He looked up and the reaction was almost instantaneous. His eyes filled with tears and he rushed around the table to pull Bella into a hug, crushing her against his chest. She could feel him shaking as he held her and she wished that she could cry too as she wrapped her arms around his waist and gripped him as tight as she dared.

"Bella," he whispered. "It's really you. It's really you."

"Yeah dad," Bella said. She rubbed her hands up and down his back trying to calm some of the emotions in him. "It's really me."

He pushed her away from him suddenly and held her at arms length, looking her up and down before locking onto her eyes. "Are you okay? What happened? Where have you been?"

"I owe you a lot of explanations dad," Bella said glancing at the floor. "Why don't you eat, and I'll tell you everything."

Charlie nodded and scratched his chin as he sat down. "Your eyes got something to do with this explanation?"

"Yeah," Bella said. "I want to start off though by telling you how sorry I am. I never should have left. I should have stayed with you. I should have seen how much you cared about me and that you were just trying your best for me. I'm sorry I couldn't see it."

"It wasn't your fault Bells," Charlie said after he swallowed his first bite of food. His eyes gleamed at the taste and he nodded his approval as he scooped up another bite with his fork then popped the top off his beer.

"It was and it wasn't," Bella said. "I left..." She paused. She wasn't sure how she should say it so she just spit it out. "I was going to kill myself."

Charlie slowed his eating as Bella kept talking. She told him about the Cullens and vampires and how she'd gone to Italy to get herself killed. She told him about the Cursed and how the Queens thought she might be a danger. She only hinted at her true relationship with the Queens but did tell him of how they had let her leave to come home. And even though she knew it wasn't allowed, she told him about the shifters in La Push, though she left out the names, and explained the treaty they had with the Cullens.

"So you're telling me," Charlie said. "that you're a cursed vampire, and that half the kids on the Rez are actually giant wolves..."

"That is the gist of it," Bella said, hoping that Charlie didn't freak out. "There is some other stuff but it's not really important right now."

"You dated a vampire?" Charlie said shaking his had and leaning back in his chair.

"Well it was either a vampire, or a hormonal teenage boy," Bella said. "At least vampires have a better taste in music."

Charlie didn't laugh. He had a scowl on his face and was staring at his dinner plate like it had insulted his mother. "I don't even know what to say Bella."

"It's okay," Bella said. She reached out and touched his arm, hoping he wouldn't flinch. He didn't. "Take your time. I know there is a lot to think over."

It had been almost two hours now since Bella had started telling Charlie about the last year of her life. She didn't want to leave anything out in case she never got the opportunity to tell him the rest. Charlie dismissed himself from the table soon after she finished telling the story and went out to the living room to watch whatever sport was currently in season. Bella joined him. She tried to pay attention to what was going on on the tv but was distracted watching Charlie as he processed. She caught him looking at her twice as if he was trying to catch her growing a third head, but he looked away each time. It was around ten when Charlie decided he was too tired to stay up any longer. He said a good night to Bella and gave her another hug before leaving the living room. He paused at the bottom of the stairs and looked back at her briefly. She knew he was wondering if she'd be there in the morning.

"I'm not going anywhere," she said softly. He nodded his head just enough for Bella to notice and then headed up stairs. His heart rate evened out about a half hour later. When Bella was sure he wouldn't get back up, she decided she needed to call Alice and see how everything was going back in Volterra. She moved to the phone in the kitchen and picked it up to dial but stopped when she realized she didin't actually know any number to call there. She didn't even know if Alice still had her cell phone or if that had been confiscated when they put her in a cell.

The phone rang a second later, jolting Bella out of her thoughts and causing her to fumble with the cord before bringing it up to her ear.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Bella!"

"Oh, Alice," she sighed. "You must have seen..."

"Yeah," Alice answered. "You really need to get a cell phone."

"Yeah, yeah," Bella said. "I was just calling to see how things are going there."

"Well the Denalies are here," Alice said. "And extremely unhappy about it. The Queens also have not let the rest of our family out of the cells. Edward is raving like a lunatic now that he knows you're gone, and the Queens are walking around like someone kicked their puppy. Sulpicia especially seems to be in a foul mood."

"That doesn't surprise me," Bella said softly. "I don't know when I'll be back. I didn't realize how much I missed home until I was here. I feel like I can breathe again."

"I'm happy for you Bella," Alice said. "I really am."

"I'm sorry I got you tied up in this," Bella responded.

"Don't be. We're family," she said, trying to lighten the mood. "You're stuck with me."

Bella laughed softly and listened as Alice told her how Rosalie had nearly killed Edward when he wouldn't shut up over her leaving. Apparently, Rosalie had pulled off three limbs before the guard arrived to stop her and even then it took two of them to completely calm her down.

"You should have seen his face Bella," Alice laughed. "He totally deserved it though. He's been nothing but a prick this whole time and he's the real reason we're in this mess. He's just lucky they repaired the dungeons and that Emmett and Jasper couldn't get to him too."

Bella heard a growl from the other end of the phone and assumed Alice must be talking to her around Edward's holding cell.

"Oh, shut up Edward." Alice giggled.

"So," Bella said. "I have a confession."

"Oh? Is it juicy?"

"I guess it depends what you call juicy?" Bella asked. "I told Charlie."

Alice paused for several seconds before she responded. "Athenodora and Didyme will understand, Sulpicia is going to be angry but she isn't going to do anything about it. He is your father. And apparently dating one of the shifters' family members? So she'll be okay."

"Yeah, Sue," Bella said. "Leah and Seth's mother. I don't know if you ever met them, but they were a good family... Thanks for checking..."

"Of course Bella," Alice responded. Bella could hear the sincerity in her voice and she was suddenly swept with a longing to be with her sire. They really were like family and Bella had missed Alice more than any of the others when they had disappeared.

"Okay," Bella said. "Well, I better go."

"Bye Bella."

"Bye Alice."

Bella smiled feeling slightly better about the revelation that her mates weren't going to be too angry with her over her father. The conversation had made her nostalgic though and she felt too cooped up in this tiny house.

She went through the kitchen to the back door and slid through out into the evening air. She took several deep breaths before sprinting in the direction she knew the Cullen house to be. Traveling through the woods was different than going by road but she had a better sense of direction now as a vampire than she did as a human and used that as an advantage to find the house she hadn't been to in over six months.

It looked exactly as pristine and shiny as it did the day they left. The grass and flower beds were over grown but otherwise everything was just as they'd left it. Bella walked around the side of the house to the driveway where she'd so many times seen that shiny Volvo parked next to a Porsche or a Corvette or a Jeep. She knew if she opened the garage they would all be gone.

As she approached the front door of the former Cullen residence, Bella began to feel the hairs on the backs of her neck and arms rising, and she scented the air. An old scent, not more than two or three days old, was wafting from the entrance of the mansion. It smelled tangy. It was definitely a vampire's but it wasn't anyone she knew off the top of her head. And there were only two other vampires she could possibly imagine would be in the area. Neither of them were good.

Bella turned from the front door toward the direction of the reservation and ran until she got to the treaty line. Unsure whether the treaty applied to her or not, she stuck to the edge and started yelling for the shifters. After several minutes of calling, a silver, grey wolf slid into the clearing and howled. Soon there were five wolves there. When it seemed they'd all gathered, they returned to the underbrush and shifted to their human forms. It was Leah, Sam, Jared, Jake, and Paul who stood before her. All of them just barely dressed.

"Bella," Jacob said. "What happened?"

"There's a new scent at the Cullens'. It's not theirs."

Sam scowled at her but signaled for the other members of his pack to shift again and the group headed out towards the Cullen household to investigate.


End file.
